Biden in talks with Netanyahu presses for Gaza ceasefire

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden pressed for a ceasefire to the 9-month-old war in Gaza in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, with Vice President Kamala Harris due to meet the Israeli leader later in the day.

They were the first face-to-face talks for the two men since Biden traveled to Israel days after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, hugged Netanyahu and pledged American support.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said gaps remain between Israel and the Hamas militants who run the Palestinian enclave in the drive for a ceasefire but "we are closer now than we've been before."

"Both sides have to make compromises," Kirby said.

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said: "I think the message from the American side in that meeting will be that we need to get this deal over the line."

The visit coincides with a shift in American politics. On Sunday, Biden, 81, stepped aside from the U.S. presidential race under pressure from fellow Democrats and endorsed Harris for the party's 2024 presidential nomination.

"We've got a lot to talk about," Biden said when he welcomed Netanyahu to the Oval Office.

"I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel," Netanyahu told Biden.

In the late afternoon, Harris will meet the Israeli leader in her ceremonial office at the White House.

The meeting will be closely watched for signs of how Harris, who was the first top U.S. official to call for a ceasefire, could shift American policy toward Israel if she becomes president.

Harris was expected to closely track the administration line in the meeting, a U.S. official said, focusing on the plight of Palestinians while also supporting Israel's right to self-defense.

Biden and Netanyahu later were due to meet together with the families of American hostages held by Hamas.

Relations between the two leaders have been strained for months over Israel's Gaza offensive in which more than 39,000 people have been killed, say health officials in Gaza.

The U.S. is a major arms supplier to Israel and has protected the country from critical United Nations votes.

Netanyahu's visit, his first to Israel's most important international ally since his late 2022 return to power for a record sixth term as prime minister, comes on the heels of Biden's dramatic decision not to seek reelection.

Whether Biden, who is now a "lame duck" president, a term used for officials who won't serve another term, or Harris, who is tied in many election polls with Republican rival Donald Trump, can have any influence on Netanyahu remains to be seen.

On Friday, Netanyahu travels to Florida to meet Trump.

Both Biden and Harris are eager for a ceasefire. Harris has been aligned with Biden on Israel but has struck a tougher tone.

The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people. Israel launched a retaliatory assault.

Hamas-led fighters took 250 captives on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies. Some 120 hostages are still being held though Israel believes one in three are dead.

The White House is ringed with extra security fencing to protect against protesters on Thursday.

Negotiations on a long-sought ceasefire-for-hostages deal in the Gaza conflict appear to be in their closing stages, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

The official, briefing reporters ahead of the talks, said the remaining obstacles are bridgeable and there will be more meetings aimed at reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas over the next week.

U.S. officials have made similar pledges before about a ceasefire which evaporated under last-minute differences.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu gave a defiant speech to the U.S. Congress in which he defended Israel's attacks on Gaza, saying anti-Israel protesters "should be ashamed of themselves."

The Gaza conflict has splintered the Democratic Party, and sparked months of protests at Biden events. A drop in support among Arab-Americans could hurt Democratic chances in Michigan, one of a handful of states likely to decide the Nov. 5 election.

Biden's desire for unity in the party in the drive to defeat Trump was cited on Wednesday night in an Oval Office address as a main reason why he decided not to seek reelection but to instead support Harris for the 2024 race.