Israeli security and policy chiefs arrived in Qatar on Sunday for high-level talks on a proposed Gaza cease-fire agreement that would free hostages before President Biden’s final day in office and Donald J. Trump’s inauguration. It was expected to arrive.
Biden administration officials are seeking a deal that will be part of the outgoing president’s legacy, and Trump has warned that if Hamas does not 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.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s intended special envoy to the Middle East, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Saturday. On Friday, Witkoff traveled to the Qatari capital Doha to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani for talks focused on efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza. went. According to the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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 over the fundamental issue of the ceasefire’s durability, and Netanyahu remains reluctant to declare an end to the war as part of the three-phase deal that Biden struck last May. It is true. .
According to two Palestinian and Israeli officials familiar with the matter, Israel is pushing for 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 will leave, 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 attack 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 US and 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, 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 last week in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip, 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.
