Israeli safety and coverage chiefs arrived in Qatar on Sunday for high-level talks a few proposed cease-fire deal in Gaza that might see hostages launched within the ultimate days of President Biden’s time period and earlier than Donald J. Trump takes workplace.
Biden administration officers have been urgent for a deal that might change into a part of the departing president’s legacy, and Mr. Trump has warned that “all hell will escape within the Center East” if Hamas doesn’t launch the hostages earlier than he’s inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Decrease-level negotiations have been underway in latest weeks after months of impasse.
Whereas some progress has been made, disagreements stay on a number of key factors, together with the timing and extent of Israel’s redeployments and withdrawal from Gaza and its willingness to finally finish the conflict, in accordance with a number of officers and a Palestinian aware of the matter. They have been talking on the situation of anonymity as a result of the talks are being held in secrecy they usually weren’t licensed to debate particulars publicly.
Representatives of the departing and incoming U.S. presidents have been cooperating on the difficulty, the Biden administration has mentioned, whereas Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Israel and Hamas.
Brett M. McGurk, Mr. Biden’s Center East coordinator, was already in Doha, the Qatar capital, placing collectively the ultimate particulars of a textual content settlement to current to the 2 sides, Jake Sullivan, the president’s nationwide safety adviser, mentioned Sunday on “State of the Union” on CNN.
“We’re very, very shut, and but being very shut nonetheless means we’re far as a result of till you really get throughout the end line we’re not there,” Mr. Sullivan mentioned.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken referred to months of efforts to succeed in a deal, saying in an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning” that “we’re very near a cease-fire and hostage settlement.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr. Biden spoke by telephone later Sunday. The 2 leaders mentioned the present negotiations in Doha for a cease-fire and hostage launch deal, in accordance with statements from the White Home and Mr. Netanyahu’s workplace. Mr. Netanyahu “thanked President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for cooperating on this sacred mission,” in accordance with the prime minister’s workplace.
Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s meant Center East envoy, met Mr. Netanyahu in Israel on Saturday. On Friday, Mr. Witkoff was in Doha and met the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, for talks that centered on efforts to succeed in a cease-fire in Gaza, in accordance with Qatar’s International Ministry.
Mr. Netanyahu’s workplace introduced late Saturday that he had mentioned the difficulty with Israel’s safety chiefs and with negotiators from each the departing and incoming American administrations. He additionally instructed Israel’s high negotiators — together with David Barnea, the top of the Mossad intelligence company — to go away for Qatar with the purpose of advancing a deal, Mr. Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned.
Disagreements between Israel and Hamas stay on the basic challenge of the permanency of a cease-fire, with Mr. Netanyahu nonetheless unwilling to declare an finish of the conflict as a part of a three-phase settlement that Mr. Biden laid out final Might.
Israel is insisting on a vaguer components that leaves room for ambiguity, in accordance with the Palestinian aware of the matter and two Israeli officers. One other official aware of the matter mentioned the Individuals have been supposed to supply mediators with a assure that the US would work to convey the conflict to an finish, although Israel has not agreed to any actual phrasing.
Hamas can be demanding detailed maps from Israel exhibiting the place it should withdraw to, however Israel has not offered them, in accordance with the officers and the Palestinian aware of the matter. They added that disagreements stay concerning the timing of an Israeli troop withdrawal from the Philadelphi Hall, a strip of land abutting Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Practically 100 hostages who have been seized throughout the Hamas-led assault in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, stay in Gaza, out of roughly 250 who have been taken. Israel believes a minimum of a 3rd of the remaining hostages are lifeless.
Israel and Hamas have each proven indicators of eager to resolve the excellent points, as stress mounts from the US and the Israeli public. Final week Hamas representatives indicated that the group had authorized an Israeli checklist of 34 hostages to be launched within the first stage of an settlement.
However Israel mentioned final week that it had not acquired any info from Hamas relating to the standing of the hostages showing on the checklist, which incorporates these it considers probably the most weak and pressing circumstances: ladies and kids, males over 50 and several other sick or injured hostages.
Israel has demanded a listing from Hamas of which hostages stay alive. With out that, Israeli officers say, there may be no settlement on what number of Palestinian prisoners Israel can be keen to launch in trade for them. As of Sunday morning, Israel had not acquired a listing of stay hostages, in accordance with one of many officers aware of the matter.
The physique of one of many hostages whose identify appeared on the checklist of 34 — Youssef Ziyadne, 53, an Arab citizen of Israel — was situated final week by Israeli forces in a tunnel in Gaza together with the stays of his son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was additionally captured throughout the 2023 assault.
The Israeli army introduced the stays of each males again to Israel for burial.
Mr. Sullivan, the U.S. nationwide safety adviser, mentioned that Mr. Biden would have a name quickly with Mr. Netanyahu however confused that the principle impediment to a deal has been Hamas.
“We aren’t by any stretch of the creativeness setting this apart,” Mr. Sullivan mentioned. “There’s a chance this comes collectively. There’s additionally a chance, as has occurred so many instances earlier than, that Hamas specifically stays intransigent.”
Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington.
