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US president Joe Biden has criticised Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, for “not doing enough” to secure a deal to release hostages.
Both he and vice president Kamala Harris were briefed on Monday by the negotiation team, who subsequently said they are “very close to a final hostage deal”.
It comes as a funeral for an American-Israeli captive took place in Jerusalem after his body was discovered alongside five others in a tunnel in Gaza on Saturday.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was kidnapped by Hamas during the 7 October incursion while he was attending the Nova music festival.
Strikes have taken place in Israel after anger mounted over the deaths of the six hostages in Gaza, with protesters demanding Netanyahu agree a ceasefire deal that will bring the captives home.
Services across Israel were disrupted on Monday after the head of Israel’s biggest labour union, the Histadrut, called for the strike on Sunday. Dozens of protesters also blocked roads in Tel Aviv and other cities around the country, reported local media.
Anger is growing among the families of the captives, who blamed Netanyahu for the deaths of their loved ones. The Hostage Families Forum said: “The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages.”
