Biden urges Qatari leader to secure Hamas agreement to truce deal

US President Joe Biden urged Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “to use all appropriate measures to secure Hamas’s acceptance of the deal,” the White House says in a readout of their call earlier today.

The two leaders “confirmed that the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table offers a concrete roadmap for ending the crisis in Gaza,” the White House says.

Biden “confirmed Israel’s readiness to move forward with the terms that have now been offered to Hamas” and “emphasized that this is the best possible opportunity for an agreement and that Hamas’s ongoing refusal to release hostages would only prolong the conflict and deny relief to the people of Gaza,” the readout continues.

The president reiterated that the US, Egypt, and Qatar are committed to “the full implementation of the entire agreement.”

Biden said “Hamas is now the only obstacle to a complete ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza,” the readout adds, noting that the president thanked the emir for Qatar’s efforts to secure a deal.

Separately today, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held a phone call with a top aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Sullivan “underscored the urgent need for Hamas to accept Israel’s proposal to bring about an immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal,” the White House says in a readout of the call with Akif Cagatay Kilic.