Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal Is Close: Report (X image)
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations are reportedly nearing to an agreement. As per the report, the deal will see Hamas turn over 33 Israeli hostages in the final week of the Biden administration before next Monday.
The deal with Hamas would release 33 hostages, some of whom may not be alive, during the initial 42-day ceasefire, said Bloomberg quoting senior Israeli officials. According to Israel, Hamas still hold 94 hostages taken from Israel during the October 7, 2023 attack, at least 34 of whom are dead.
During his address at the US State Department, US President Joe Biden said, both sides were “on the brink of a proposal”.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he believed a ceasefire deal could be concluded before his inauguration on January 20. “We are very close to getting it done…They will get it done…I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished, maybe by the end of the week”, he said in an interview with Newsmax.
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US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who said on Monday that there was a “distinct possibility” for a deal as the “pressure is building for Hamas to come to yes”, also agreed that a ceasefire deal is close. “It’s there for the taking so the question is now can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen,” Sullivan said in an interview at Bloomberg.
He noted that the Biden administration’s Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, had been in the Middle East for more than a week working out the details of an agreement. He said he has spoken with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as well as Israeli officials and “there is a general sense that this is moving in the right direction”, as per media report.
“The pressure building here toward the end of President Biden’s term has been considerable…That will help contribute to a positive outcome if we can generate that final yes from both sides”, he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas’ court. Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal, as per media report.
A senior Israeli official also told CNN that the parties appear to be on the verge of an agreement and that Israel is prepared to immediately implement the deal once it has been inked.
As per the report, Israel believes the bodies of dead hostages will also likely be among 33 people released during the first phase of the deal.
A final round of talks to finalize any issues was scheduled to take place in Doha on Tuesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited some of the hostages’ families to meet him on the same day, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, reported CNN, quoting diplomat close to the negotiations.
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The release of hostages would be the first phase of the deal and negotiations for the second phase would begin on the 16th day of the implementation of the deal, which is intended to end the war.
Under the current truce deal, the Israeli forces will remain stationed along the Philadelphi Corridor – a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border. The presence of Israeli troops along the corridor was one of the reasons why a potential deal could not be finalised in September, reported CNN.
Israel would also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border with Israel. The width of the buffer zone is not clear yet, according to the CNN report, Hamas want the buffer zone to return to the pre-October 7 sizes of 300-500 meters (330-545 yards) from the borderline, while Israel was requesting 2,000 meters.
Moreover, residents of northern Gaza could return freely to the north of the strip, but unspecified “security arrangements” would reportedly remain in place. According to Israeli officials, Palestinian prisoners captured by Israel, who are deemed responsible for killing Israelis, would not be released into the West Bank, but rather to the Gaza Strip or abroad following agreements with foreign countries.
There would also be a significant increase of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where international bodies including the United Nations warn that the population is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel allows aid into the enclave but there have been disputes over the amount allowed in as well as the amount that reaches people in need, with looting by criminal gangs an increasing problem.
(With inputs from agencies)
