US President Joe Biden has warned all parties involved in negotiations for a possible cease-fire agreement in Gaza not to jeopardize efforts.
Biden said “we are closer than we’ve ever been” to a ceasefire after the latest round of negotiations, but a senior Hamas official was skeptical.
The president also announced that he would send Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel to continue the “intensive efforts to close this agreement.”
His comments followed a joint statement from the United States, Qatar and Egypt, saying they had put forward a proposed ceasefire and hostage release deal that would “close the gap” between Israel and Hamas.
Any sign of progress in Qatar’s negotiations is seen as essential by governments desperate to prevent the war in Gaza from developing into a full-blown regional conflict.
Mediators said the past two days of ceasefire talks had been “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere.”
Technical teams are expected to continue working in the coming days on the details of the implementation of the proposed terms before senior government officials meet in Cairo, with the hope to reach an agreement on the terms set in Doha.
Biden later said in a statement that he had separately discussed with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, who expressed strong backing for the proposal.
He added that he was also sending Blinken to the Middle East to reaffirm his unwavering support for Israel’s security and to emphasize that with the complete ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages now in view, no one in the region should take steps to undermine this process”.
While the mediators’ statement is clearly a positive development, there is still much to be done before a ceasefire can be reached.
However, Blinken told US reporters that he had become more optimistic than ever about the possibility of a deal, but said that if he gave the reason, he’d “give it away”.
Asked when a possible ceasefire could begin, he said “that remains to be seen.”
This is not the first time the US president has expressed optimism that he thinks a deal is close, and not everyone shares his cautious optimism.
A senior Hamas official – who did not take part in the talks but was in contact with Qatari and Egyptian officials – told the BBC:
“What the movement’s leadership was informed of today regarding the results of the Doha ceasefire meetings does not include a commitment to implement what was agreed upon on 2 July.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he appreciated the efforts made to discourage Hamas from rejecting a deal that would release the hostages.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Source: BBC News
