The senior leadership of Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad met in the Qatari capital, Doha, on August 21 to discuss the latest political and regional developments in the region. The militant groups in Gaza blamed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of US-backed hostage-ceasefire negotiations last week. They said that a ceasefire and the removal of the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip are necessary for a truce deal. Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke to the US president Joe Biden over a phone call on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including threats by Iran and Hezbollah.