Biden vows to keep working to end Gaza war, free hostages in last months as president
US leader addresses newly rebranded Harris campaign HQ from quarantine, in first remarks since quitting race; VP’s office touts her backing of Israel ahead of meeting with Netanyahu
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden vowed on Monday to continue working to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza during his final six months in office, in his first public remarks since ending his reelection bid a day earlier.
“I’ll be working very closely with the Israelis and with the Palestinians to try to work out how we can get the Gaza war to end, and Middle East peace, and get all those hostages home,” Biden said in a call into his campaign headquarters, which has transitioned to supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I think we’re on the verge of being able to do that,” Biden added.
For weeks, though, Biden has claimed the sides are close to a deal, while talks appeared poised to drag on further as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to order the Israeli hostage negotiating team to raise their demands when they meet with mediators on Thursday, according to a senior Israeli official.
While Biden said during the Monday call that he would be “out of people’s hair for the next three-four days” due to COVID, the White House subsequently announced that he would return to Washington on Tuesday afternoon. A US official later told The Times of Israel that the White House “expects” Biden to host Netanyahu on Thursday.
Biden, in his address to the newly rebranded Harris headquarters, urged his supporters to embrace the vice president, saying his decision to drop out of the race was the “right thing” to have done.
Biden calls in to Kamala Harris' campaign event and says dropping out was "the right decision." pic.twitter.com/7N5OXoi0Jn
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“I want to say to the team, embrace her. She’s the best,” Biden said.
“I know yesterday’s news is surprising and it’s hard for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,” he said of his decision to drop out and endorse Harris.
Biden still hasn’t been seen in public since last Wednesday’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Meanwhile, Harris’s office announced Monday evening that she will also meet with Netanyahu this week at the White House.
Harris’s office and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby already said last week that the vice president would meet Netanyahu when he was in town, though they did not specify then that the sit-down would take place at the White House.
In a Monday attributed to a Harris aide, her office offered a little more information regarding the upcoming meeting, while still not revealing exactly when it would be held.

The statement said the vice president will use the meeting with Netanyahu to convey “her view that it is time for the war to end in a way in which Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom and self-determination.”
The Harris aide said the vice president will also raise the ongoing efforts to secure a hostage release and ceasefire deal.
“We anticipate she will underscore her commitment to ensure Israel can defend itself from threats from Iran and Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas. She will again condemn Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack on October 7, and horrific sexual violence. She will reiterate her deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the loss of innocent life,” the statement from the Harris aide said.
The vice president’s office went on to confirm that she will not preside over Netanyahu’s Wednesday speech to a joint session of Congress, as she will be in Indianapolis for a previously scheduled event. “Her travel to Indianapolis should not be interpreted as a change in her position with regard to Israel.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ben Cardin will preside over the address alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, the former’s office confirmed to The Times of Israel.
The statement from Harris’s aide also made a point of highlighting the vice president’s pro-Israel record, amid a drumbeat of media reports that have presented her as a more critical foil to Biden.

Two current and one former administration official who spoke Sunday to The Times of Israel dismissed the bad cop narrative as wishful thinking from those supportive of a tougher US line on Israel.
“Throughout her career, the vice president has had an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. That remains true today,” the aide said on Monday.
“Since October 7, she has been deeply engaged with Israeli officials as part of our administration’s support for Israel as it works to eliminate the threat of Hamas,” the aide said, pointing to calls and meetings she has held with President Isaac Herzog and former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, along with over 20 calls between Biden and Netanyahu that she has also joined.
The aide pointed out that Harris has repeatedly condemned Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and expressed support for Israel’s right to self-defense.

She has also met with former hostages and hosted an event at the White House that highlighted Hamas’s use of sexual violence, the VP aide added.
While Biden phoned in to campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris was there in person, acknowledging the “rollercoaster” of the last several weeks but expressing confidence in her new campaign team.
“It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” she said. She promised to “unite our Democratic party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.”
Agencies contributed to this report.