Washington: Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their “closing phase,” a US official said on Wednesday, ahead of talks between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden will try to close some “final gaps” in talks with Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday, but key elements, including the fate of the hostages, remain in Hamas's court, a senior administration official said.
“We believe it is in the final stages and an agreement is close,” the US official said on condition of anonymity in a preview call of Netanyahu's visit.
There will be “a lot of activity in the coming weeks” to reach a long-sought deal, the official said, adding that a deal “is not only possible, it is necessary and necessary.”
U.S. officials said that while Netanyahu gave a fiery speech to Congress on Wednesday in which he promised “total victory,” talks with Biden would focus more on the mechanics of the deal.
A potential cease-fire now hinges on a handful of issues about how a deal would be implemented, with Hamas toning down its demands for full Israeli withdrawal, the official said.
“I don't expect a meeting (with Netanyahu) or not, it's kind of a 'how do we close these last gaps?' And there are some things we need from the Israeli side, no question,” the official said.
“But there are also some key things that are only in the hands of Hamas because the hostages are in the hands of Hamas.”
Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to AFP figures based on official Israeli figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken that day, 114 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 42 killed, the military said.
More than 39,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
