Harris tells Netanyahu ‘it is time’ to end war in Gaza

As he met Mr Biden earlier, the prime minister said he had known him for 40 years – and that the US president had known every Israeli premier over the last half a century.

“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden “on the great issues before us” over the next several months.

The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli prime minister that he had met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, a successor, was there as an assistant.

At a news briefing, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu had discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach “compromises” in peace talks.

While Mr Kirby added that “gaps remain” in the US-Israel relationship, it was still “healthy”.

“By healthy, I mean they’re not going to agree on everything,” Mr Kirby said, adding that Mr Biden was “very comfortable with the relationship he has with the prime minister”.

The US and Israeli leaders also held a closed-door meeting with the families of seven US citizens still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Following the meeting, Jonathan Dekel-Chen – whose son Sagui was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October – told reporters that the meeting was “productive and honest”. He did not provide further details.

“We feel probably more optimistic than we have since the first round of releases in late November, early December,” he said.