Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with outgoing US President Joe Biden on Sunday, updating him on progress in negotiations to reach a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal in Gaza.
“The prime minister discussed with the American president the progress in the negotiations for the release of our hostages and updated him on the mandate he has given to the negotiating team in Doha, aimed at advancing the release of the hostages,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Several Palestinians were killed Sunday morning by Israeli airstrikes targeting areas in Gaza City and Jabalia in the enclave’s north.
Gaza’s health ministry said 28 people were killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 46,565, with over 109,000 others wounded.
Elsewhere Sunday, Saudi Arabia called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria after meetings with top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe that focused on the war-ravaged country’s future.
