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By Ezekiel David
President Joe Biden says Israel and Hamas are “closer than we have ever been” to reaching a cease-fire agreement. During his remarks at the White House, he did caution that a deal is “not there yet.”
Following two days of meetings in Doha, Qatar, officials expressed confidence in the progress made. Talks are planned to resume next week in Cairo, Egypt, with the goal of reaching a deal.
“I don’t want to jinx anything… we may have something,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. “But we’re not there yet. It’s much, much closer than it was three days ago. So, keep your fingers crossed.”
Biden has previously expressed optimism about achieving an agreement, but previous conversations have stagnated. A source with firsthand knowledge of the talks told Sky News that they were “cautiously confident” about reaching an agreement.
The proposed arrangement would include the release of captives held during the October 7 attacks on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people and captured more than 250. In return, Israel started a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, killing more than 40,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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The White House, Egypt, and Qatar issued a joint statement describing the talks as “serious and fruitful,” with plans to meet in Cairo by the end of next week to ratify the agreement.
Hamas did not directly participate in the latest ceasefire talks and accused Israel of introducing new demands to a proposal they had initially agreed to. Both sides had previously agreed in principle to a plan Biden announced on May 31, but disputes over amendments have delayed progress.
On Friday, mediators submitted a new plan to both parties, intending to build on areas of agreement while closing remaining gaps. However, Hamas expressed worries about the proposal, noting that it altered greatly from the previous version, raising the possibility that it would be rejected.
International diplomacy efforts also heightened on Friday, with British and French foreign ministers visiting Israel to prevent the violence from worsening. After meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne expressed cautious optimism. Katz reiterated that Israel expects its allies to assist not only in defense but also in any response against Iran if it is attacked.
(Source: Sky News)
