President Joe Biden said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and added he is “close” to presenting a final deal to negotiators working to strike a hostage and ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The president’s comments came as he was returning to the White House to huddle with American officials who have been working to secure a deal that would pair a release of hostages held in Gaza with a pause in the fighting. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, also attended the meeting before joining Biden for a campaign event in Pittsburgh.
The hostage release efforts gained new urgency over the weekend with the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah, including the Israeli-American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
The deaths have sparked outrage inside Israel, leading to enormous protests and a nationwide strike Monday. Demonstrators have called on Netanyahu to put aside political ambitions to strike an agreement that would allow hostages to be released.
Asked Monday whether Netanyahu was doing enough to reach an agreement, Biden said simply: “No.”
His one-word answer kept with Biden’s reluctance to criticize Netanyahu in public, but nonetheless reflected deep frustrations inside the White House at how the Israeli leader has handled the conflict and the hostage talks.
A senior Israeli source criticized Biden’s statement, saying: “It is remarkable that President Biden is trying to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu, who agreed to both the president’s proposal on May 31 and to the American bridging proposal on August 16, and not Hamas’ leader Sinwar, who continues to oppose any deal.”
“The president’s statement is also dangerous because it comes days after Hamas executed 6 hostages, including an American citizen.”
A US official responded to that criticism by saying, “The president has been clear that Hamas is responsible for killing Hersh and the others and Hamas leaders will pay for their crimes. He is also calling for urgency from the Israeli government in securing the release of the missing remaining hostages.”
Two leaders at odds
It’s the latest sign of discord between the two leaders who have a long relationship that at times is contentious and has been worn thin over the last year during Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Biden later deflected questions about the Israeli response to his statement. As the president left for Pittsburgh, CNN’s Arlette Saenz asked him what more he wanted Netanyahu to do.
“We’re in the middle of negotiations,” Biden said.
Asked about Netanyahu’s comments about him, Biden responded: “We’re still in negotiations – not with him, but my colleagues from Qatar and Egypt.”
American officials said the deaths of the six hostages over the weekend would likely apply new pressure on Netanyahu to reach an agreement, though the officials also said it raised questions about how serious Hamas is toward striking a deal.
“We’re very close to that,” Biden said when asked by CNN if he was planning to present a final proposal.
Asked Monday how the new deal being finalized would be different than other failed proposals, Biden responded: “Hope springs eternal.”
As he was arriving back at the White House after the Pittsburgh rally, Biden was asked whether he had plans to speak to the prime minister.
“Eventually,” he responded.
Netanyahu was more vociferous in his complaints about how Hamas is treating the ceasefire talks. He said in a news conference Monday that Israel has already shown “seriousness in the negotiations” and now “Hamas has to make the concessions.”
“On August 19, Secretary (Antony) Blinken said, Israel accepted the US proposal. Now Hamas must do the same. On August 28 – that’s five days ago, five days ago – the deputy CIA director said that ‘Israel shows seriousness in the negotiations. Now, Hamas must show the same seriousness,’” he said. “I want to ask you, what has changed in the last five days? What has changed? One thing – these murderers executed six of our hostages. They shot them in the back of the head. That’s what’s changed.”
“Now, after this, we’re asked to show seriousness? We’re asked to make concessions? What message does this send Hamas? It says, kill more hostages. Murder more hostages. You get more concessions,” Netanyahu argued, adding that international pressure should be directed at Hamas.
“I don’t believe that either President Biden or anyone serious about achieving peace and achieving the release would seriously ask Israel, Israel, to make these concessions. We’ve already made them. Hamas has to make the concessions,” Netanyahu said.
Officials still trying to push deal forward
Following the news of the killing of the six hostages in Gaza, officials involved in the mediation of the ceasefire talks have been on the phone discussing ways to push the ceasefire and hostage deal forward, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN.
But then Netanyahu gave his press conference Monday evening, arguing that Israel will never leave the Philadelphi corridor, “and this guy torpedoed everything in one speech,” the source said in an initial reaction.
Mossad director David Barnea also traveled to Doha and met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad Abudlrahman Al Thani on Monday.
Lead Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Jazeera on Sunday there would be no deal without the Israel Defense Forces withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor, which runs along the Egypt-Gaza border. Between the hostages and the Israeli military presence in the corridor, the “Philadelphi was more important,” Hayya alleged.
Netanyahu’s recent insistence on staying in Philadelphi represents a change in position, sources familiar with the negotiations said. When Biden announced the framework on May 31 – which he said Israel had agreed to – it envisioned an IDF withdrawal eastward from populated areas. According to a draft published in Israeli media, there was no mention of Philadelphi.
In the weeks that followed, Israel then added remaining in Philadelphi as a condition, and the recent negotiations have discussed what the IDF presence along the border would look like.
A permanent IDF presence in the Philadelphi corridor would also contradict the US position on the future of Gaza. On Blinken’s most recent trip to Israel in August he told reporters that the US will not accept “any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel.” Administration officials have made clear they expect a full withdrawal by Israel from Gaza as the result of any permanent ceasefire agreement.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
