Officials push for a deal as Gaza ceasefire talks gather momentum

According to sources briefed on the meeting on Tuesday, negotiations in Cairo are moving forward, and an agreement to end the 14-month-old conflict in Gaza and release captives held in the Palestinian enclave might be reached in the next few days.
In recent days, the U.S. administration has worked hard to move the negotiations along before President Joe Biden steps down next month, with the help of mediators from Egypt and Qatar.

In an interview with Fox News, White House spokesperson John Kirby stated, “We believe—and the Israelis have said this—that we’re getting closer, and without a doubt, we believe that, but we also are cautious in our optimism.”

«We’ve been here before and failed to finish.»

The sources claim that in a matter of days, they may reach a ceasefire agreement that would end hostilities and return hostages held by Hamas, an Islamist organization in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.

Hamas said in a statement that they might reach a settlement if Israel stopped imposing new requirements. The talks were serious, according to a Palestinian official involved in the mediation process, and they were discussing every word.

Netanyahu met with top military and security officials on Tuesday on Mount Hermon, a crucial peak just inside Syria, according to a statement from his office, while sources briefed on the meeting claimed he was heading to Cairo.

In a separate communication to Israeli media, his spokesperson stated, “The prime minister is not in Cairo.”

Netanyahu was not in Cairo “at this moment,” according to two Egyptian security officials, but a meeting was in progress to resolve the remaining issues, primary among them being a desire from Hamas for assurances that any short-term agreement will eventually result in a complete one.

According to the Egyptian sources, they were making headway and believed that Tuesday night might be pivotal in determining the course of action.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu did not testify at his planned corruption trial. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump appointed Adam Boehler as his special envoy for hostage problems, and they met in Israel on Monday.

Trump reaffirmed his warning that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not free its hostages by January 20, the day he takes office, during a news conference in Florida on Monday.

If a ceasefire agreement is reached by the time Trump is in office, he later stated, “It’s not going to be pleasant.” He didn’t go into detail.

Although they have warned that the talks could fail, U.S. and Israeli officials have voiced increasing hope that the negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar could result in a settlement by the end of the month.

On Monday, Israeli diplomats were in Doha with the goal of resolving differences between Israel and Hamas over a plan that Biden had proposed in May.
Several rounds of unsuccessful negotiations have taken place over the past year, with Israel demanding the maintenance of a military presence in Gaza and Hamas refusing to release detainees until the troops have left.

The war in Gaza, which has shocked the Middle East and isolated Israel on a global scale, began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli villages that resulted in almost 1,200 deaths and over 250 captures.
Over 45,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s campaign, which has also left the majority of the 2.3 million residents homeless and left much of the coastal enclave in ruins.

Israeli bombings on Tuesday killed extended families in homes in two areas of the northern Gaza Strip, according to medics.
In the town of Beit Lahiya, further north, at least 15 people were thought to be dead or missing in the debris of a house struck at dawn, while at least 10 people were confirmed dead in an airstrike that demolished a house in Gaza City.