Biden urges Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to reach hostage agreement with Israel

US President Joe Biden on Friday urged the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas militants to agree to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal ahead of a fresh round of talks this weekend in Cairo.

A US official said that CIA Director Bill Burns will lead the US delegation to the Cairo talks.

A senior Biden administration official said Biden wrote letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on the state of the hostage talks. He urged them to secure commitments from Hamas to agree to and abide by a deal.

The United States and its allies view a ceasefire as essential to allowing more humanitarian aid to get into Gaza amid fears of famine among the Palestinians there.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet the families of the hostages at the White House on Monday, the official said.

Reuters