US President Biden hosts Israel PM Netanyahu at White House

Both leaders also met with the families of American hostages, including the Siegel family, the Alexander family, the Dekel-Chen family, the Naftali family, the Neutra family, the Goldberg-Polin family and the Chen family.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden met at the White House with the families of the American hostages: The Siegel family, the Alexander family, the Dekel-Chen family, the Naftali family, the Neutra family, the Goldberg-Polin family and the Chen family," the Prime Minister of Israel stated on X.

Before he met with Biden, Netanyahu said that he was looking forward to working with Biden in the forthcoming months.

"I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead on the great issues before us," the Israeli PM's office stated.

Earlier, before meeting the US President, the Israeli PM signed the guestbook in the Roosevelt Room.

"Today, President Biden sits down with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel to talk about all things in the Middle East, particularly, of course, the conflict in Gaza," White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in a statement prior to their talks.

Kirby affirmed that it is "absolutely urgent" to get the hostages back home to their families.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently on a visit to the United States. This visit has come at a contentious time, when Israel is engaged in a massive conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where over 39,000 Palestinians have been killed. This has drawn severe criticism of the US administration from some leaders and sections of society.

As Netanyahu addressed the joint session of US Congress on Wednesday, over 5,000 protesters massed on the streets near Capitol Hill, waving Palestinian flags and chanting for the United States to stop arming Israel.

PM Netanyahu also met Elon Musk on Wednesday after his address to the US Congress.

The two discussed opportunities and challenges in AI, as well as its influence on the economy and society, and opportunities for technological cooperation with Israel. (ANI)