President Biden says Prime Minister Netanyahu is not doing enough to bring the hostages home from Gaza. The president, along with Vice President Harris, met at the White House Monday to discuss a path forward to bring the war to a close. 

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House just before meeting with a team dealing with the cease-fire and hostage negotiations, a visibly frustrated Mr. Biden said they are getting “very close” to a situation where he will put forward a final deal for both Israel and Hamas. 

When asked if Mr. Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a deal, Mr. Biden offered a blunt assessment: “No.”

He said he would hopefully have more information for Americans after his meeting in the Situation Room. “We’re not giving up. We’re going to push as hard as we can,” the president said. 

Israel has been rocked by protests since the recovery of six hostages’ bodies from Gaza, with thousands of citizens taking to the streets to demand Mr. Netanyahu prioritize a deal immediately in order to bring the remaining hostages home. 

On Monday, a general strike began after the country’s largest trade union, Histadrut, called for Israel’s economy to be brought to a standstill until the prime minister wins a negotiated settlement to the conflict. The strike shut down Ben-Gurion International Airport, schools, and shopping centers, among other places, before a  labor court order ruled that the protest must end, which Histadrut agreed to do. 

The deep divisions over the negotiations have seeped into the Israeli war cabinet. Axios first reported on Friday that Mr. Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, got into a screaming match during a cabinet meeting when discussing the parameters of a cease-fire and hostage deal. 

One of the hostages whose body was recovered by Israeli forces, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was buried in Israel on Monday.