Some U.S. officials have grown more optimistic that a deal to release Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip in return for a cease-fire is at hand. But people briefed on the talks say it will be days until it is clear whether a breakthrough has been achieved because of difficulties in communication between Hamas officials in Qatar and the group’s leaders in Gaza.
Other officials said that previous moments of hope about an agreement had been dashed by both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas. In Washington, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan reflected both the optimism and the caution, noting that many details still needed to be hammered out to secure a deal.
“There’s still miles to go before we close if we are able to close,” Sullivan told reporters Thursday. “So I don’t want to say that it’s immediately around the corner, but it does not have to be far out in the distance if everyone comes in this with the will to get it done.”
Later Thursday, President Joe Biden also expressed guarded optimism about the direction of negotiations during a news conference closing a NATO conference in Washington, D.C. “There’s still gaps to close, but we’re making progress,” he said. “The trend is positive. I’m determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war which should end now.”
Earlier this week, Biden dispatched his top aide for Middle East affairs, Brett McGurk, to Israel for discussions with the government there, while CIA Director William Burns traveled to Doha, Qatar, for talks with Egyptian, Qatari and Israeli officials negotiating over the release of the hostages.
On Friday, McGurk led the U.S. delegation for further talks in Cairo on the framework of a three-phase deal that is backed by the United States and the United Nations. After holding meetings with the Israeli negotiating team Thursday, Netanyahu dispatched a delegation led by the head of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service to Cairo for continued discussions.
Negotiators have tried to overcome hurdles to a deal by reaching precise agreements on the exchanges of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in its first phase. At the same time they have pushed for agreement on the broader framework for subsequent phases of the deal.
The framework discussions include the two most contentious issues: whether Israel will agree to end the war, withdraw from Gaza and respect a permanent cease-fire; and whether Hamas will agree to give up control of Gaza, according to a person briefed on the negotiations.
Both Israel and Hamas remain exceptionally wary about whether the other side is truly ready to make concessions.
Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said his group had shown “great flexibility” in discussions with mediators, especially in making language changes, but had held firm to its demand that Israel agree to a permanent cease-fire.
“We’re not obstinate and rigid in negotiating,” he said in an interview in Doha. “If there are some phrases that will make the negotiations easier and lead to the same result — the end of the war — we have no problem.”
Palestinians have grown weary of the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza. While most still blame Israel for the death and destruction, anger at Hamas — and a willingness to express that resentment — is growing.
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