WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani on Friday about the situation in Gaza, the White House said.
“Both leaders affirmed that a hostage agreement was essential to establish a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and to ensure that additional humanitarian assistance reaches civilians throughout the Gaza Strip,” the White House said in a statement. a statement.
The US envoy for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, was in Doha this week for discussions on the release of the hostages.
White House spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday the United States would support a longer humanitarian pause in the fighting in Gaza to allow the release of hostages and the delivery of aid.
Joe Biden also spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sissi on Friday.
The two heads of state discussed intensifying efforts to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and agreed to continue close coordination on humanitarian assistance, the White House said in a press release.
(Reporting Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington, written by Ismail Shakil; French version Camille Raynaud)
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