Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed that a hostage deal was crucial for a cease-fire, as they discussed ongoing developments amid Israel's indiscriminate attacks and blockade on the Gaza Strip.
"Both leaders affirmed that a hostage deal is central to establishing a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and ensure additional life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in need throughout Gaza," the White House said in a statement.
Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk was in Doha this week having discussions about the possibility of another hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday the U.S. would support a longer humanitarian pause in combat in Gaza to ensure hostages could be released and aid brought in.
Biden also spoke with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Friday.
They discussed intensifying efforts to further increase the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza and agreed to continue their close coordination on humanitarian assistance, the White House said in a statement.
According to a statement by the Qatari royal court, cited by the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Sheikh Tamim received a phone call from Biden to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories.
The American president thanked Sheikh Tamim for Qatar's "diplomatic and humanitarian efforts and endeavors [...] regarding the situation in Gaza."
The statement quoted Qatar's Emir stressing the necessity to "keep the crossings open for the sustainable entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in order to promote peace and stability in the Middle East region."
"The two sides also discussed the Qatar-US strategic relations and means of boosting and developing them," the statement also said.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 26,083 Palestinians and injuring 64,487. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
