Israeli security and political chiefs were expected to arrive in Qatar on Sunday for high-level talks on a proposed Gaza ceasefire deal that would free hostages in the final days of President Biden’s term and before Donald J.
Biden administration officials have been pushing for a deal that would become part of the outgoing president’s legacy, and Mr. Trump warned that “all hell will break loose in the Middle East” if Hamas does not release the hostages before his inauguration on January 20.
Negotiations at a lower level have begun in recent weeks after months of deadlock.
While some progress has been made, disagreements remain on several key points, including the timing and extent of Israel’s reshuffle and withdrawal from Gaza and its willingness to finally end the war, according to several officials and a Palestinian with knowledge of the matter. the subject. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are being held in secret and they were not authorized to discuss details publicly.
Representatives of the outgoing and incoming US presidents are working together on the issue, the Biden administration said, while Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Israel and Hamas.
Steve Witkoff, the intended emissary of Mr. Trump in the Middle East, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Saturday. On Friday, Mr. Witkoff was in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani for talks focused on efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Qatar. State Department.
The office of Mr. Netanyahu announced late Saturday that he had discussed the issue with Israel’s security chiefs and negotiators from both the outgoing and incoming US administrations. He also ordered Israel’s top negotiators – including David Barnea, the head of Mossad intelligence – to leave for Qatar with the aim of brokering a deal, Mr Trump’s office said. Netanyahu.
Disputes between Israel and Hamas remain over the fundamental issue of the permanence of the ceasefire, with Mr. Netanyahu remains unwilling to declare an end to the war as part of a three-phase deal put forward by Mr. Biden last May.
Israel is pushing for a more vague formula that leaves room for ambiguity, according to the Palestinian person familiar with the matter and two Israeli officials. Another official familiar with the matter said the Americans had to provide mediators with a guarantee that the United States would work to end the war, although Israel has not agreed to any precise wording.
Hamas is also demanding 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 are still disagreements over the timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphia Corridor, a strip of land bordering Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Nearly 100 hostages taken during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, out of about 250 captured. Israel believes at least a third of the remaining hostages are dead.
Israel and Hamas have shown signs of wanting to resolve outstanding issues as pressure from the United States and the Israeli public mounts. Last week, Hamas representatives said the group had approved an Israeli list of 34 hostages to be released in the first stage of a deal.
But Israel said last week it had received no information from Hamas about the status of the hostages on the list, which includes what it considers the most vulnerable and urgent cases – women and children, men over 50 and several sick or injured hostages.
Israel has asked Hamas for a list of hostages who remain alive. Without that, Israeli officials say, there can be no agreement on how many Palestinian prisoners Israel would be willing to release in exchange for them. As of Sunday morning, Israel had not received a list of living hostages, 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 national of Israel — was found last week by Israeli forces in a Gaza tunnel along with the remains of his son, Hamza Ziyadne . who was also arrested during the 2023 attack.
The Israeli military transported the remains of both men back to Israel for burial.
