Israelis and Palestinians are signaling new efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement, albeit a limited one, for the first time in a year that would halt fighting in Gaza and return to Israel some hostages still held in the Palestinian territory. Will be given.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz told his American counterpart Lloyd Austin in a phone call on Wednesday that there is now a chance for a new agreement that would allow the return of all hostages, including American citizens, Mr. Katz’s office said.
However, a Western diplomat in the region said an agreement was taking shape but was likely to be limited in scope, involving the release of only a handful of hostages and a brief pause in hostilities.
It would be only the second such ceasefire and release since the war began in October 2023.
Guarded optimism emerged as US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan flew to Israel on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then to Egypt and Qatar as co-mediators with the US on a deal. .
Separately, President-elect Donald Trump has demanded that militants from the Palestinian Hamas group release hostages being held in Gaza before Mr Biden takes office on January 20. Otherwise, Mr. Trump has said, “there will be hell to pay.”
Mr Trump’s designated hostage envoy Adam Boehler has said he is also involved, adding that he has already spoken to Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu. Israel says 100 hostages remain in Gaza. Seven are believed to be US citizens.
Citing Mr Trump’s threat of “hell to pay”, Boehler told Israel’s Channel 13 news last week: “I would appeal to those who have taken hostages: Make your best deal now. Make it Do it now because every day that passes is going to make it even more difficult and Hamas will lose even more lives.”
Although Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are working separately, their efforts overlap and both would benefit from an agreement. A US official said Trump’s public statements about the need for a quick ceasefire “have not been harmful.”
The official said the priority is to get hostages home, whether it’s at the end of Mr. Biden’s term or the beginning of Mr. Trump’s term.
Mr. Trump’s designated Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met separately with Mr. Netanyahu and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in late November, a source briefed on the conversations said.
The time is right for Netanyahu
For Mr. Netanyahu, the timing of political compromise has never been better.
The prime minister told reporters on Monday that Hamas’s growing isolation following the fall of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad’s regime has opened the door to a possible hostage deal, even if it is too early to claim its success.
Israel’s military chief and the head of the Shin Bet internal security service were in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss Gaza border crossings and administration after the war, according to three Israeli security sources.
The public optimism of Israeli leaders last week matched the general tone of internal discussions behind closed doors, according to an Israeli official.
For Mr. Netanyahu, concessions will be much easier now that Israel has reestablished its reputation as the most powerful Middle East force and its Iran-backed enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria now pose less of a threat.
Mr Netanyahu’s once fragile coalition has been strengthened by the addition of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his more centrist faction. Mr Netanyahu, after securing a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, could complete the picture with the return of the hostages in agreement with Hamas.
In the past year, some far-right ministers in his cabinet have objected, even threatening to bring down the government if the war in Gaza ends. But with Israel’s enemies weakening and his coalition strengthening, Netanyahu is much less politically vulnerable.
Mr. Saar said on Monday that Israel is now more optimistic about a potential hostage deal, amid reports that Hamas has asked other Gaza factions to help compile a list of Israeli and foreign hostages in their custody. Whether they are dead or alive.
A Palestinian official close to the talks and familiar with the positions of all parties involved described “negotiation fever” with views emerging on all sides, including mediators in Egypt and Qatar.
The Palestinian official said Mr. Trump’s participation had boosted the talks, even though the sides have not yet presented a list of Palestinian prisoners and hostages to be exchanged or completed a plan for a temporary or phased ceasefire.
He said that Hamas is willing to show some flexibility if there is a guarantee that Israel will not resume fighting.
It is unclear how the parties can bridge the largest gap left after several rounds of failed talks; Hamas is demanding an end to the war, while Israel says the war will not end until Hamas rules Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Jordan and Türkiye on Wednesday for talks on Syria, the State Department said. Israel is not on his official itinerary but there is always a possibility he could add a stop.
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