Israeli security and policy leaders arrived in Qatar on Sunday for high-level talks on a proposed Gaza cease-fire agreement that would free the hostages before President Biden's final day in office and President Donald J. Trump's inauguration.
Biden administration officials are seeking a deal that will be part of the outgoing president's legacy, and Trump has warned that if Hamas doesn't release the hostages by January's inauguration, “there will be hell in the Middle East.” I'm warning you. 20.
After months of deadlock, lower-level negotiations have been underway in recent weeks.
Although some progress has been made, several key issues remain, including the timing and extent of Israel's redeployment and withdrawal from Gaza, and its intention to ultimately end the war, according to multiple officials and Palestinians familiar with the matter. There remains a difference of opinion on some points. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were held in secret and they were not authorized to discuss details publicly.
The Biden administration said representatives of the outgoing and incoming U.S. presidents were working together on the issue, and that Qatar and Egypt were mediating between Israel and Hamas.
Mr. Biden's Middle East coordinator, Brett M. McGuirk, is already in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where he is finalizing the final details of a written agreement to present to both sides, said Jake Sullivan, the president's national security adviser. said Sunday. “State of the Union” (CNN).
“We're very close. But very close means we're still far away, because until we actually cross the finish line, we're not there,” Sullivan said. said.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning,” citing months of efforts to reach an agreement, “We are very close to a ceasefire and a hostage agreement.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Biden spoke by phone late Sunday. The two leaders discussed ongoing negotiations in Doha for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, according to a statement from the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Prime Minister Netanyahu “thanked President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for their cooperation in this sacred mission,” the prime minister's office said.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's intended special envoy to the Middle East, met with Netanyahu in Israel on Saturday. Witkoff traveled to Doha on Friday to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani for talks focused on efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. I did it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said late Saturday that he had discussed the issue with Israel's security chiefs and negotiators from both the outgoing and new US governments. Netanyahu also directed key Israeli negotiators, including Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea, to fly to Qatar to try to push for a deal, according to Netanyahu's office.
Differences between Israel and Hamas remain on the fundamental question of the permanence of the ceasefire, and Prime Minister Netanyahu remains reluctant to declare an end to the war as part of the three-phase deal signed by Biden last May. It is true.
According to two Palestinian and Israeli officials familiar with the matter, Israel is insisting on a more ambiguous formula that leaves room for ambiguity. Another official familiar with the matter said Israel did not agree on the exact wording but was to provide assurances to the mediator that the United States would work to end the war.
Hamas has also asked Israel to provide detailed maps showing where the troops are leaving, but Israel has not provided them, according to officials and Palestinians familiar with the matter. They added that disagreements remained over the timing of Israeli troops' withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor, a stretch of land adjacent to the Gaza-Egypt border.
Of the approximately 250 hostages taken in the Hamas-led offensive in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, nearly 100 remain in Gaza. Israel believes at least a third of the remaining hostages have died.
Both Israel and Hamas have shown signs of wanting to resolve outstanding issues amid mounting pressure from the United States and the Israeli public. Last week, Hamas representatives said the organization had approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal.
But Israel announced last week that it had not received any information from Hamas about the status of the listed hostages. The list includes hostages considered to be the most dangerous and urgent cases, including women and children, men over 50, and several sick and injured people. .
Israel has asked Hamas to provide a list of its surviving hostages. Without that, Israeli officials say there will be no agreement on how many Palestinian prisoners Israel will release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. As of Sunday morning, Israel had not received a list of live hostages, according to one official familiar with the matter.
The body of Israeli Arab Youssef Ziyadneh, 53, one of the 34 hostages on the list, was taken to Israel in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip last week along with the body of his son Hamza Ziyadneh. discovered by the military. He was also captured in the 2023 attack.
The Israeli military took the remains of both men back to Israel for burial.
Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said Biden is expected to speak by phone with Netanyahu soon, but stressed Hamas is the main obstacle to a deal.
“We have no intention of putting this issue aside,” Sullivan said. “This could overlap, as has happened many times before, and it is also possible that Hamas in particular remains stubborn.”
Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington.
