NNA  - Joe Biden will press Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to seal a Gaza cease-fire deal, despite the U.S. president's shock election exit threatening to limit his leverage over the Israeli premier.

Netanyahu will also meet Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely new Democratic presidential nominee, at the White House on Thursday, one day after he gave a speech to the U.S. Congress vowing "total victory" against Hamas. 

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu are tense over Israel's conduct in the war sparked by Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks, despite the U.S. president's continued military and political support for Washington's key Middle East ally.

And while Biden says he wants to secure a truce and hostage release deal in his last six months in office, Netanyahu may be tempted to wait until after his lame-duck presidency and negotiate with his successor instead.

As part of his first White House visit during Biden's presidency, Netanyahu will hold talks with the U.S. leader in the Oval Office at 1:00 pm (1700 GMT), and both will later meet the families of U.S. hostages held in Gaza.

The Israeli military announced on Thursday the recovery of the bodies of five people held in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack, in an operation in the city of Khan Yunis.

In a primetime speech explaining his decision on Sunday to bow out of the U.S. presidential election, the 81-year-old Biden made clear that the conflict would remain a top priority.

"I'm going to keep working to end the war on Gaza, bring home all the hostages to bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war," Biden said in his address to the nation.

A senior U.S. administration official said on Wednesday that negotiations on a Gaza deal were in the last stretch and that Biden would try to close some "final gaps" with Netanyahu.--AFP

=========R.H.