°®Âþµº

Joe Biden will press Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to seal a Gaza ceasefire deal, despite the US president's shock election exit threatening to limit his leverage over the Israeli prime minister.

Netanyahu will also meet Vice President Kamala HarrisÌý– the likely new Democratic presidential nomineeÌý– at the White House on Thursday, one day after he gave a speech to the US Congress.

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu are tense over Israel's conduct in its war on Gaza, despite the US 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 captive 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 US leader in the Oval Office at 1pm (5pm GMT), and both will later meet the families of US captives held in Gaza.

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

In a primetime speech explaining his decision on Sunday to bow out of the US presidential election, the 81-year-old Biden made clear that the war 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 US 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.

'Closing stages'

"We believe it's in the closing stages and a deal is closeable," the US official said on condition of anonymity, adding that there would be "lot of activity in the coming week".

The US official played down Netanyahu's fiery speech to Congress, which sparked rowdy protests.

A possible truce now hinges on a handful of issues about how a deal would come into effect, with Hamas having eased its demand for a full Israeli pull-out from the Gaza Strip, the official said.

"I don't expect the meeting [with Netanyahu] to be a yes or no, it's a kind of like 'how do we close these final gaps?' And there are some things we need from the Israeli side, no question," the official said.

"But there's also some key things that are only in the hands of Hamas because the hostages are in the hands of Hamas."

But in a sign that the world may already be moving on without Biden, Netanyahu is set to meet separately with Harris.

Harris has previously been more outspoken about Israel's conduct of the war, prompting speculation that she will shift her policy as presidential nominee.

Republican contender Donald Trump will meanwhile meet Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday.

Biden has offered Israel steadfast support during the Gaza war, even hugging Netanyahu at Tel Aviv airport when he visited just days after the 7 October attack on Israel.

But Biden has been increasingly critical of Israel over the Palestinian death toll in its offensive in Gaza, and criticised the amount of aid getting through to the stricken territory.

The US president unveiled a ceasefire plan in May, but negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been torturous, and Israel's assault on the enclave has continued.

Washington has meanwhile continued its massive military support for Israel.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 39,175 people, according to data provided by the Palestinian enclave's health ministry.

The 7 October attack resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 111 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 39 who the military says are dead.