White House: Biden ‘feels deeply and strongly we’ve got to get hostage deal in place’

WASHINGTON — White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby enters the press briefing room wearing a dog tag that he received from one of the American hostage families.

He says US President Joe Biden is conveying in his ongoing Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “how deeply and strongly he president feels that we’ve got to get this hostage deal in place and get a ceasefire — at least for phase one for those first six weeks.”

Kirby reiterates that gaps remain, but that they’re bridgeable if there’s leadership and willingness to compromise and make the effort.

“Today is the 293rd day that these hostages have been held captive by Hamas and you just have to assume that it is in the most horrific of circumstances,” the White House spokesperson laments.

He says the two leaders are also discussing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah and trying to prevent the opening of a full-blown war.

Kirby adds that Biden is also raising the “critical need for stability in the West Bank.”

“We’re still seeing violence in the West Bank that the president has been absolutely steadfast calling out as unacceptable,” he says, apparently referring to settler violence. Biden has levied a series of sanctions at those behind attacks amid little Israeli action.

The White House spokesperson clarifies that the US still maintains an “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security and to helping it combat threats from Iran and its proxies.

After their meeting with their teams, Biden and Netanyahu will meet with the families of some of the eight American-Israelis being held by Hamas. This will be Biden’s second meeting with those families.