WASHINGTON, Sept 2, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - President Joe Biden will sit down on
Monday with US negotiators pushing for a hostage-release deal in the Israel-
Hamas war, the White House said, after the deaths of six captives in Gaza,
including an American citizen.

Biden's official schedule was revised to make time for the White House
meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is
running to succeed him in November's presidential election.

A statement announcing Biden's updated schedule said he and Harris would meet
Monday "with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team following the murder of
American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas on
Saturday, and discuss efforts to drive towards a deal that secures the
release of the remaining hostages."

The United States, along with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar, has spent
months pushing for a hostage-prisoner exchange and ceasefire in the war in
Gaza.

Militants seized 251 hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel that
sparked the war, 97 of whom remain in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military
says are dead.

Scores of hostages were released during a one-week truce in November, with
campaigners and family members believing another deal is the best option to
ensure the rest return.

A nationwide strike in Israel aimed at ramping up pressure on Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure the release of the remaining
captives was set to begin Monday.

Hostage relatives and advocates have accused Netanyahu's administration of
not doing enough to bring the captives back alive, and have called for an
immediate ceasefire to rescue the rest.