Gaza ceasefire negotiations appear to be in final stages: US

Washington:

Negotiations on a ceasefire deal for hostages in the Gaza conflict appear to be in the final stages and US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss the remaining gaps on Thursday, an official said. senior US official on Wednesday.

The official, briefing reporters ahead of the talks, said the remaining obstacles were surmountable and there would be more meetings aimed at reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas next week.

Hamas-led fighters invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 prisoners, according to Israeli records, triggering a war in which more than 38,000 people in Gaza were killed.

Hamas and other militants still hold 120 hostages; Israel believes that about a third of them are dead.

Months of intermittent talks have failed to produce an agreement to secure the release of some of the remaining hostages.

The senior US official said both Israel and Hamas still had some issues to resolve, but that a deal was close in which a six-week ceasefire would take place in exchange for the release of women, elderly men and hostages injured over a period of time. 42 days. .

“It’s a very different negotiation now than just a month ago when we had some fundamentally insurmountable issues,” the official said.

Biden will hold talks with Netanyahu and, later in the day, Vice President Kamala Harris will have a separate meeting with the Israeli leader.

Harris took over as the presumptive Democratic pick for November’s presidential election against Republican Donald Trump, after Biden opted not to seek re-election again under pressure from Democrats concerned about his mental acuity.

The senior US official said Biden and Harris are “completely aligned” on US policy towards Israel and Gaza.

“Israelis will hear the full lineup,” the official said.

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