U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday spoke with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani about Gaza and they agreed that efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas were key to securing a longer pause in fighting, the White House said.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani © Saudi Press Agency
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday spoke with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani about Gaza and they agreed that efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas were key to securing a longer pause in fighting, the White House said.
"Both leaders affirmed that a hostage deal is central to establishing a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and ensure additional life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in need throughout Gaza," the White House said in a statement.
Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk was in Doha this week having discussions about the possibility of another hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday the U.S. would support a longer humanitarian pause in combat in Gaza to ensure hostages could be released and aid brought in.
Biden also spoke with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday.
They discussed intensifying efforts to further increase the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza and agreed to continue their close coordination on humanitarian assistance, the White House said in a statement.
Reporting by by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington
Qatar's Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi announced Friday that Iranian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure would reduce liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by 17%, resulting in estimated annual revenue losses of $20 billion.
Saudi Arabia reserves the right to act militarily against Iran and any trust with Tehran has been shattered, the Saudi foreign minister said early on Thursday, after Riyadh was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called Thursday for "vigilance and coordination" among regional countries to counter what he described as "destabilising and escalatory actions" by the United States and Israel, in separate phone calls with his counterparts in Turkey, Egypt and Pakista
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.