Israeli security and policy officials arrived in Qatar on Sunday for high-level talks on a proposed Gaza ceasefire deal that would see hostages released in the final days of President Biden’s term and before Donald J. Trump takes office.
Biden administration officials have been looking for a deal that will be part of the outgoing president’s legacy, and Mr. Trump has warned that “hell will break out in the Middle East” if Hamas does not release hostages before he is inaugurated on Jan. .
Low-level talks have been underway in recent weeks after months of silence.
While some progress has been made, disagreements remain on several key points, including the timing and extent of Israel’s redeployment and withdrawal from Gaza and its determination to end the war, according to several officials and a Palestinian familiar with the matter. They were talking but would like to remain anonymous because the talks were private and they were not authorized to talk about the details publicly.
Representatives of the outgoing and incoming US presidents have been working on the issue, the Biden administration said, while Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Israel and Hamas.
Brett M. McGurk, consultant for Mr. Biden in the Middle East, was already in Doha, the capital of Qatar, putting together the final details of the text agreement that he will present to both sides, said Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, on Sunday. of the Union” on CNN.
“We are very close, but closeness still means that we are far because until you cross the finish line, we are not there,” said Mr. Sullivan.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke of months of efforts to reach an agreement, saying in an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” that “we are very close to an agreement to stop fighting and arresting people.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Biden spoke by phone later on Sunday. The two leaders discussed ongoing talks in Doha on a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages, according to statements from the White House and Mr Netanyahu’s office. Mr. Netanyahu “thanked President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for their cooperation in this sacred mission,” according to the prime minister’s office.
Steve Witkoff, who was Mr. Trump in the Middle East, met with Mr. Netanyahu in Israel on Saturday. On Friday, Mr Witkoff was in Doha and met with the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, for talks focused on efforts to end the conflict in Gaza, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The office of Mr. Netanyahu announced late Saturday that he had spoken with Israeli security officials and negotiators from both the outgoing and incoming US administration. He also ordered senior Israeli negotiators – including David Barnea, head of the Mossad intelligence agency – to travel to Qatar to push the deal forward, Mr Netanyahu’s office said.
The standoff between Israel and Hamas remains a fundamental issue for any ceasefire, and Mr. Netanyahu is not yet ready to declare an end to the war as part of the three-phase deal Mr. Biden put it last May.
Israel is insisting on a vague form that leaves room for ambiguity and a resumption of hostilities at some point, according to a Palestinian familiar with the matter and two Israeli officials. Another official with knowledge of the matter said that the Americans should have given the mediators an assurance that the United States would work to end the war, although Israel did not agree to any specific clause.
Hamas also wants detailed maps from Israel showing where it will withdraw, but Israel has not provided them, according to officials and Palestinians familiar with the matter. They added that there is still disagreement about the timing of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphia Corridor, the strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt, although the two Israeli officials said the sides were close to resolving the issue.
The two officials added that the sides are close to an agreement that would allow Israel to conduct military operations during the first phase of the agreement about a kilometer inside Gaza, or about two-thirds of a mile. The Israelis wanted the ability to travel 1.5 kilometers to Gaza, they said. A Palestinian familiar with the matter said Hamas wanted any entry to be limited to within 500 meters of the border.
Nearly 100 hostages were taken during a Hamas-led offensive in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, they are still in Gaza, about 250 were taken. Israel believes at least a third of the remaining hostages are dead.
Israel and Hamas have both shown signs of wanting to resolve the remaining issues, as pressure mounts from the United States and the Israeli public. Last week, Hamas representatives revealed that the group has approved Israel’s list of 34 hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal.
But Israel said last week it had not received information from Hamas about the condition of the hostages from the list, which includes those it considers the most vulnerable and urgent cases: women and children, men over 50 and a few sick or injured hostages. .
Hamas also agreed to Israel’s request to include 11 contenders on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal. Israel classifies these as civilians, but Hamas considers them soldiers, according to two Israeli and Palestinian officials. Israel is considering a proposal by Hamas that these 11 be treated as soldiers to be exchanged for a higher number of Palestinian prisoners than those released from captivity.
Israel has demanded a list from Hamas where their hostages are still alive. Otherwise, Israeli officials say, there will be no agreement on how many Palestinian prisoners Israel would agree to release in exchange for them. As of Sunday morning, Israel had not received a list of the hostages who are still alive, according to one of the officials familiar with the matter.
The body of one of the hostages whose name appeared on the list of 34 – Youssef Ziyadne, 53, an Arab citizen of Israel – was found last week by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip along with the remains of his son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was also captured during the raid. -2023.
Israeli soldiers brought the remains of both men to Israel for burial.
Mr. Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said Mr Biden insisted that the main obstacle to the deal was Hamas.
“Let’s put this aside,” said Mr. Sullivan. “It is possible that this will come together. There is also the possibility, as has happened many times before, that Hamas in particular remains unchanged.”
Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington.