Joe Biden and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke by phone on Friday about the “urgent” need for Hamas to “immediately release” the hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the White House said, AFP reported.

The two leaders also discussed “ongoing efforts to increase the flow of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza” and Israel’s decision, following a US request, to allow two fuel tankers into the territory each day, the statement added.

The US president, currently in San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, said on Wednesday that he is “relatively optimistic” about the imminent release of hostages held by Hamas as part of talks with Qatar.

The Gulf state resorted to intensive diplomacy to try to secure their release after an unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

According to the latest figures from the Hamas government, 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza, including 5,000 children and 3,300 women.

According to the estimates of the Israeli military, about 240 people became hostages during the Hamas attack. According to the army, 51 soldiers have died in Palestine since the beginning of the war.