US President Joe Biden spoke on Tuesday with Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar.
According to a statement from the White House, the two “discussed the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens.”
“The leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the statement added.
The conversation comes amid efforts to calm the situation in Gaza and achieve another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar and Egypt were mediators between Israel and Hamas in the late November truce, during which Hamas released 110 hostages.
In recent days, there were reports that Egypt proposed a new deal which would see Israel stop the fighting for at least two or three weeks, and Hamas would release 40 hostages in return for 120 terrorists.
According to the initiative, in the second stage, a professional government will be established in the Gaza Strip consisting of Hamas and Fatah members, and the bodies of IDF soldiers will be released.
In the third stage, Israel will announce the end of the war, the IDF will leave the Gaza Strip, and the terror organizations will release the remaining hostages.
However, Israel rejected the proposal and so did Hamas, which is demanding an end to the fighting in Gaza before any hostages are released.