Written by Mayan Rubel and Nidal Al Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to take even limited measures to suspend fighting in the Gaza Strip and return some hostages still held there to Israel. This suggests new efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement. Palestinian enclave.
Katz told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the phone Wednesday that there was a chance for a new agreement that would allow for the return of all hostages, including American citizens, his office said.
However, Western diplomats in the region said that while the agreement was taking shape, it was likely to be limited in scope, including only the release of a few hostages and a brief cessation of hostilities.
This is the second such ceasefire and liberation since the war began in October 2023.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan heads to Israel on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, before heading to Egypt and Qatar, which are jointly mediating the deal with the United States. However, cautious optimism is emerging.
Separately, President-elect Donald Trump called on Palestinian Hamas militants to release hostages held in Gaza before taking over from Biden on January 20. Otherwise, Trump said, “you will be punished in hell.”
Adam Boehler, whom President Trump nominated as hostage envoy, has already met with Biden and Netanyahu and said he is involved. Israel says 100 hostages remain held in the Gaza Strip. Seven people are believed to be U.S. citizens.
Baylor told Israel’s Channel 13 News last week, citing President Trump’s threat of “pay in hell.” It will become increasingly difficult and more Hamas lives will be lost. ”
Although Biden and Trump are working separately, their efforts overlap and both stand to benefit from the deal. A U.S. official said President Trump’s public comments about the need for a swift ceasefire were “not harmful.”
The official said the priority is to bring the hostages home, whether it’s the end of Biden’s term or the beginning of Trump’s term.
Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for the Middle East appointed by President Trump, met separately with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in late November, according to a person briefed on the meeting. revealed.
The timing is right for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Politically, the timing of the agreement may have been perfect for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The prime minister told reporters on Monday that Hamas’ growing isolation following the collapse of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad’s rule made it too early to claim success, but that a hostage deal was a possibility. He said it opened the door to sex.
Israeli military commanders and the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency visited Cairo on Tuesday to discuss post-war Gaza border crossings and governance, according to three Israeli security officials.
Israeli officials say Israeli leaders’ public optimism over the past week is consistent with the overall tone of the country’s behind-closed-doors talks.
For Netanyahu, concessions will be much easier now that Israel has re-established its reputation as the strongest power in the Middle East and the threat from Iranian-backed enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria has diminished.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s once-fragile coalition has been strengthened by the participation of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his centrist allies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has achieved a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and an agreement with Hamas to return the hostages would complete the situation.
Over the past year, some far-right members of the Gaza cabinet have voiced opposition, even threatening to collapse the government if the war in Gaza ends. But with Israel’s enemies weakened and its alliances strengthened, Netanyahu is no longer politically vulnerable.
Saar said on Monday that Israel is open to hostage deals, following reports that Hamas has asked other factions in Gaza to help compile a list of Israeli and foreign hostages in detention, living or dead. She said she has become more optimistic about sexuality.
A Palestinian official close to the negotiations and familiar with the positions of all parties described what he called a “fever of negotiations” with ideas being floated on all sides, including between Egyptian and Qatari mediators. .
Palestinian officials say President Trump’s involvement is not at the point where either side has provided a list of Palestinian prisoners or hostages to be exchanged or finalized plans for a temporary or gradual ceasefire. He said it gave momentum to the talks.
He said Hamas was willing to show some flexibility if there were guarantees that Israel would not resume fighting.
It is unclear how the two sides will be able to bridge the biggest gap that has persisted through numerous failed negotiations. Hamas has called for an end to the war, but Israel says it will not end until Hamas no longer rules Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to Jordan and Turkey for talks on Syria on Wednesday, the State Department said. Israel isn’t on his official itinerary, but there’s always a chance he’ll add a stopover.
