US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani today the efforts to elevate humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of Israeli captives, the State Department stated in a readout of the phone call.

Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, "The leaders discussed ongoing efforts to secure the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and establish a humanitarian pause in the conflict in Gaza," adding, "They agreed to continue close coordination to provide increased humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and to press for the protection of civilians consistent with international humanitarian law."

US President Joe Biden said today he does not anticipate a ceasefire in Gaza on Monday, however, he "remains hopeful" as he proceeds to contact people in the region.

When asked by reporters about the possibility of a ceasefire by Monday, Biden answered, "Hope springs eternal, I was on the telephone with the people in the region ... probably not by Monday, but I'm hopeful."

Democrats favor candidate who does not give military aid to 'Israel'

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that most Democrats favor a presidential candidate who does not give military aid to "Israel", as opposed to the current US President Joe Biden.

The poll demonstrated that 56% of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they would vote for someone who doesn't supply military assistance to "Israel", as opposed to 40% who said they would.

This comes as Biden faces backlash in his own party for supporting "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, as a hypothetical poll shows he is tied at 36% with Republican opponent and former President Donald Trump. 

According to a recent Gallup poll released on Friday, Biden's approval rating has plummeted to 38%, just one point shy of his all-time low. The poll tracked Biden's handling of six major areas, including his overall job performance, the war in Ukraine, the US economy, wars in the Middle East, the border crisis, and foreign policy issues.

22% of Democrats in the poll blamed "Israel" for the genocide, saying they want a candidate who would call for a ceasefire, compared to 13% in the November poll.