Biden asked Netanyahu for ceasefire in Gaza during Monday call

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a pause in fighting in Gaza during a call on Monday.

A White House spokesperson previously said the two leaders discussed the potential for “tactical pauses” in fighting in Gaza for humanitarian reasons and possible hostage releases during their conversation on Monday.

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on Monday that a three-day fighting pause could help secure the release of some hostages, Axios reported earlier on Tuesday, citing two US and Israeli officials.

Citing the US official, Axios reported that under a proposal being discussed between the US, Israel and Qatar, Hamas would release 10-15 hostages and use the pause to verify the identities of all the hostages and deliver a list of names of the people it is holding.

In a statement on Monday, the White House said Biden and Netanyahu discussed “the possibility of tactical pauses to provide civilians with opportunities to safely depart from areas of ongoing fighting, to ensure assistance is reaching civilians in need, and to enable potential hostage releases.”