NEW DELHI: United States President Joe Biden called on the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Monday (April 29) to "exert all efforts" to secure the release of hostages who have been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip so that the ceasefire deal is achieved, stated the White House.

For months, Cairo, Doha and Washington have been carrying out mediation to achieve a truce in the Palestinian territory which has been war-ravaged since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7.

On Monday, the representatives from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt met in Cairo after the proposal for a second truce in Gaza was given to Hamas along with a fresh release of hostages.

Biden, in his separate telephonic conversations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke about the "the deal now on the table," said the White House.

Biden appealed to the leaders "to exert all efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas as this is now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza," stated the White House.

Egypt's presidency stated that al-Sisi also discussed the dangers of a military escalation in Rafah with President Biden. The call focused on the plan of exchanging Israeli hostages with Palestinian prisoners. 

"President al-Sisi stressed the necessity of full and adequate access to humanitarian aid, reviewing the intensive Egyptian efforts in this regard," said the Egyptian presidency, in a statement.

"The two presidents also stressed the necessity of working to prevent the expansion of the conflict and reaffirmed the importance of the two-state solution as the means to achieve security, peace, and stability in the region," it added.

Qatar's Amiri Diwan said that Biden and the Qatari Emir spoke about the developments in the situation in Gaza and the efforts being made by the two nations to finalise a permanent ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire” was Hamas, before the last-chance talks took place to find a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hamas before the ground invasion in Rafah.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia, Blinken said: “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel."

“They have to decide and they have to decide quickly … I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision and we can have a fundamental change in the dynamic," he added. 

The Hamas delegation has departed from Cairo and will come back with a written response to the proposal, stated Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera TV.United States President Joe Biden called on the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Monday (April 29) to "exert all efforts" to secure the release of hostages who have been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip so that the ceasefire deal is achieved, stated the White House.

For months, Cairo, Doha and Washington have been carrying out mediation to achieve a truce in the Palestinian territory which has been war-ravaged since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7.

On Monday (April 29), the representatives from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt met in Cairo after the proposal for a second truce in Gaza was given to Hamas along with a fresh release of hostages.

Biden, in his separate telephonic conversations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke about the "the deal now on the table," said the White House.

Biden appealed to the leaders "to exert all efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas as this is now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza," stated the White House.

Egypt's presidency stated that al-Sisi also discussed the dangers of a military escalation in Rafah with President Biden. The call focused on the plan of exchanging Israeli hostages with Palestinian prisoners. 

"President al-Sisi stressed the necessity of full and adequate access to humanitarian aid, reviewing the intensive Egyptian efforts in this regard," said the Egyptian presidency, in a statement.

"The two presidents also stressed the necessity of working to prevent the expansion of the conflict and reaffirmed the importance of the two-state solution as the means to achieve security, peace, and stability in the region," it added.

Qatar's Amiri Diwan said that Biden and the Qatari Emir spoke about the developments in the situation in Gaza and the efforts being made by the two nations to finalise a permanent ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire” was Hamas, before the last-chance talks took place to find a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hamas before the ground invasion in Rafah.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia, Blinken said: “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel."

“They have to decide and they have to decide quickly … I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision and we can have a fundamental change in the dynamic," he added. 

The Hamas delegation has departed from Cairo and will come back with a written response to the proposal, stated Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera TV.