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President Joe Biden on Monday said he did not think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done enough to secure a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, a comment that comes amid massive protests in Israel.
Biden made the remark to reporters after a weekend during which the bodies of six hostages executed by Hamas were found in a Gaza tunnel. Among those discovered was the body of 23-year-old American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents had publicly pleaded for the return of their son. The pair had brought their personal appeal to the Democratic National Convention, where they were received with a standing ovation.
The discovery of the hostages has launched massive protests of hundreds of thousands of people across Israel as dissenters accuse Netanyahu of failing to land a hostage deal. On Monday, a nationwide strike ensued, threatening to paralyze the economy.
Reporters asked Biden if he thought Netanyahu had done enough to secure an agreement, and the president answered: “No.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly accused Hamas of holding up a deal, but recently U.S. and foreign officials have said conditions introduced by Netanyahu also disrupted efforts.
NBC News has reached out to Netanyahu and the Israeli Embassy for comment.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the U.S. hostage deal negotiation team in the White House Situation Room on Monday morning. Attendees included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and CIA Director William Burns, among others.
According to a readout of the meeting from the White House, the president “expressed his devastation and outrage at the murder, and reaffirmed the importance of holding Hamas’s leaders accountable. “
They also discussed next steps in securing the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, including consultations with co-mediators Qatar and Egypt.
From the White House’s South Lawn, Biden said he was “very close” to presenting a final hostage deal this week.
But in a war that has been going on for a year, the president could not conclusively say the deal would be acceptable.
“Hope springs eternal,” he said.
Biden added that he had spoken to the hostages’ families.
“I spoke to his mom and dad, and we’re not giving up. We’re going to continue to push as hard as we can,” he said.
