Israel and Hamas may be on the verge of an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by the terrorist organization, according to officials to President Joe Biden, who is leaving office in less than two weeks.
The hope comes as the Biden administration and the team of President-elect Donald Trump are attempting to reach an agreement prior to Trump’s inauguration on January 20. This week, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Doha, Qatar, where Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, has been taking part in the most recent round of negotiations since last weekend.
Trump reaffirmed his threat of undefined chaos in the Middle East if the captives are not freed by the inauguration, despite his statement on Tuesday that he does not want to sabotage negotiations.
Hell will break out in the Middle East if they don’t return by the time I take office, and it won’t be good for Hamas or, to be honest, anyone. Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago home that chaos will ensue.
At Trump’s Florida club, Witkoff gave reporters an overview of the agreement and stated that he was traveling to hopefully complete it.
He stated that the Trump team’s objective was to have a 42-day truce “enacted sometime before the inaugural.”
On Tuesday, a senior Biden administration source told NBC News that there is a good prospect of reaching an agreement but that it will know within the next 24 to 48 hours if one is likely.
A third senior administration official stated that 34 hostages are part of the arrangement, but it is unclear how many of them are still alive.
According to a U.S. official, they are hopeful that a deal is near, but they have been hopeful when deals have fallen through in the past. Prior to his trip to the area, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said reporters on Friday that the new agreement is both feasible and necessary.
However, a senior administration source warned that while we might get there, it is not imminent. Hamas must decide politically that this is something they want to accomplish and that it’s either now or never.
According to this source, we are discovering that Mohammed Sinwar, Sinwar’s brother, is much more obstinate than his late brother, which has made the negotiations tense. (After his brother, Yahta Sinwar, was murdered by Israel Defense Forces in October, Mohammed took over as Hamas’ leader.)
According to two White House insiders, they were discussing developments on the truce in Lebanon with new national security adviser Mark Walz and other Trump administration officials, including Trump’s choice for secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
Since soon after the election, the Trump and Biden teams have been collaborating on the agreement. Witkoff has praised Biden’s team while simultaneously implying that Trump’s reputation is driving the negotiations and that it is [his] strength that is making progress.
Witkoff informed reporters on Tuesday that the president will not be inaugurated until the 42-day ceasefire has ended. Therefore, the president will be the most important person. When the 42-day ceasefire expires, he will be in office, and that is what Hamas is concerned about as we proceed to phase two.
A number of Biden and Israeli officials have admitted that the president-elect’s rhetoric—particularly a Truth Social post from December 2 that used the phrase “all hell to pay”—was a major reason why Israel and Hamas were more serious about the negotiations.
Another senior administration official, however, minimized Witkoff’s contribution, stating that the offer on the table is identical to the one Biden described in May and that we are at this position in the negotiations because of diligent diplomacy over many months.
However, the official pointed out that Hamas is still the barrier and that pressure on it won’t stop until it consents to the request to free the hostages. We are working with “Steve” Witkoff and consulting with him and the Trump team, the official claims. In order to ensure a smooth handoff in the event that this does not work out by January 20th, we are keeping them updated.
According to an Israeli official who previously spoke to NBC, Hamas is aware that they may lose influence after Trump takes office since he is more likely to support Israel than Biden and be less inclined to insist on the release of Hamas prisoners as part of the agreement.
Although Witkoff would not comment on the precise number, he acknowledged that he has heard intelligence reports indicating that there are a significant number of captives still alive.
However, a U.S. official declined to provide a figure, only stating that it is lower than previously thought.
“But I’ve had mothers come to me and fathers crying, can I get the body of their son back?” Trump added, apparently moved by his calls with the American families of hostages. Can I get their daughter’s body?
In addition to demanding that the bodies of their loved ones be returned for proper burial, Israeli and American captive families are putting pressure on negotiators to prioritize the release of hostages who are still alive.
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