President Joe Biden will sit down on Monday with US negotiators pushing for a hostage-release deal in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the White House said, after the deaths of six captives in Gaza, including an American citizen.
According to AFP, Biden’s official schedule was revised to make time for the White House meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running to succeed him in November’s presidential election.
A statement announcing Biden’s updated schedule said he and Harris would meet Monday “with the US hostage deal negotiating team following the murder of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas on Saturday, and discuss efforts to drive towards a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages”.
A nationwide strike in Israel aimed at ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of the remaining captives was set to begin today.
Hostage relatives and advocates have accused Netanyahu’s administration of not doing enough to bring the captives back alive, and have called for an immediate ceasefire to rescue the rest.