President Joe Biden said Monday he doesn’t think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done enough to secure a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, which comes amid massive protests in Israel.
Biden made the remarks to reporters after a weekend in which the bodies of six hostages executed by Hamas were found in a Gaza tunnel. Among those found was the body of 23-year-old American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents had publicly pleaded for their son’s return. The couple had delivered their personal appeal to the Democratic National Convention, where they were received with a standing ovation.
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The discovery of the hostages has sparked massive protests by hundreds of thousands of people across Israel, with dissidents accusing Netanyahu of failing to secure a hostage deal. A national strike followed on Monday, which threatened to cripple the economy.
Asked by reporters if he thought Netanyahu had done enough to get the deal done, the president said, “No.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly blamed Hamas for delaying the deal, but recently U.S. and foreign officials have said that the conditions imposed by Netanyahu have also disrupted businesses.
NBC News has reached out to Netanyahu and the Israeli embassy for comment.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the US hostage treaty negotiating team in the White House Situation Room on Monday morning. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and CIA director William Burns were among others.
According to a readout of the White House meeting, the president “expressed his devastation and outrage at the killing and reaffirmed the importance of holding Hamas leaders accountable.”
They also discussed the next steps for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, including negotiations with other brokers Qatar and Egypt.
From the South Lawn of the White House, Biden said he was “very close” to presenting a final hostage deal this week.
But in the year-long war, the president could not definitively say that the treaty should be accepted.
“Hope is eternal,” he said.
Biden added that he had spoken to the families of the hostages.
“I talked to his mom and dad and we’re not giving in. We’re going to keep pushing as hard as we can,” he said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
