US President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and called on the Israeli leader to swiftly finalise a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, AFP reports.

“President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” according to a White House readout, which added they discussed the “humanitarian crisis” in the embattled Palestinian territory and the need to remove obstacles to the flow of aid.