US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee to succeed him, were briefed by their national security team on the situation in the Middle East, Anadolu reports.

The briefing comes ahead of negotiations in Doha, Qatar that are slated to begin on efforts to bring a ceasefire to the besieged Gaza Strip.

The White House said Biden and Harris “were updated on US military efforts to support the defense of Israel.”

“They were also briefed on continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tension and to bring the ceasefire and hostage release deal to a conclusion,” it added.