U.S. President presses Israeli PM on Gaza ceasefire deal

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressed the urgent need to conclude a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal and pointed to upcoming Cairo talks as crucial, the White House said.

Their call followed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's whirlwind trip to the Middle East that ended on Tuesday without an agreement between Israel and Hamas militants on a truce in the Palestinian enclave.

Negotiators who have struggled for months to conclude a ceasefire deal plan to meet in the coming days in Cairo.

"The president stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles," the White House said.

The statement said Biden and Netanyahu also discussed U.S. efforts to support Israel "against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, to include ongoing defensive U.S. military deployments."

"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions," the White House said.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who on will formally accept the nomination as the Democrats' presidential candidate, also joined the call.