Biden spoke with Netanyahu Wednesday at a critical moment in Gaza talks

CNN —

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday about “the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions,” White House spokesperson Emilie Simons posted on X.

Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call, which came at a critical moment in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week in Israel that it may be the last opportunity for a deal.

Biden made the call from Santa Ynez, California, where he is vacationing this week.

A major sticking point in the ongoing negotiations is the future of the Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza.

On Wednesday, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that Israel’s withdrawal from the 8.7-mile strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt would be an element of the proposal agreed to by Netanyahu.

Blinken and other US officials have declined to detail the “bridging proposal” the US laid out last week, which is designed to bring Israel and Hamas closer to a ceasefire agreement. But Hamas insists that the IDF withdraw fully from Gaza and that citizens must be allowed to return home. Israeli officials counter that a solution must be found to better control the Egypt-Gaza border, which has long been used for smuggling.

But the prime minister’s office quickly denied any intention to leave the area, which Israeli troops seized in May.

“Israel will insist on the achievement of all of its objectives for the war, as they have been defined by the Security Cabinet, including that Gaza never again constitutes a security threat to Israel. This requires securing the southern border,” his office said in a statement on Wednesday, describing