Biden speaks to Netanyahu amid cease-fire talks and evacuation of Rafah

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday morning as a potential ground assault in Rafah looms and as negotiations over a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel moved closer to an agreement

A little while after their call, Hamas announced that it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal. Israel has not yet commented on the plan.

A White House readout of the call said Biden updated Netanyahu "on efforts to secure a hostage deal" including through talks happening Monday in the Qatari capital, Doha.

"The Prime Minister agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need. The President reiterated his clear position on Rafah," the White House said.

The two leaders discussed Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah, which takes place Monday, the readout said.

Biden and Netanyahu “discussed the shared commitment of Israel and the United States to remember the six million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered in the Holocaust, one of the darkest chapters in human history, and to forcefully act against antisemitism and all forms of hate-fueled violence,” the readout said.

Before the call, a National Security Council spokesperson said it would touch on possible military action in Rafah.

“We can’t speak for IDF operations," the spokesperson said. "We have made our views clear on a major ground invasion of Rafah to the Israeli government, and the President will speak with the Prime Minister today. We continue to believe that a hostage deal is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages, and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering. Those talks are ongoing now.”

The call