Biden, Netanyahu to hold phone call soon

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to hold a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon to discuss hostage talks.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said this, according to The Times of Israel.

"We are very, very close (to a Gaza deal) and still a long way off because we are not there. It may be possible to do it by January 20, but I cannot be sure," Sullivan said, expressing optimism combined with caution that Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed in comments last week about the state of the talks.

It is noted that Netanyahu sent his top-level negotiators to Doha, Qatar, on Saturday in a sign that the talks are nearing a climax. However, a senior Arab diplomat familiar with the negotiations told the publication that significant obstacles remain.