Gaza truce, hostage release deal could be finalized this week: White House

A deal on a Gaza truce and hostage release could be finalized in the final week of U.S. President Joe Biden’s term, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday.

“We are close to a deal, and it can get done this week. I’m not making a promise or prediction, but it is there for the taking, and we are going to work to make it happen,” Sullivan told reporters.

Sullivan also said he was more hopeful of a deal now than he was on previous occasions since the Gaza war broke out following Hamas’s October 6, 2023 attack on Israel.

“It’s because the gaps have fundamentally narrowed down,” he added.

Negotiations on a prisoner swap and cease-fire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., have stalled multiple times due to new conditions imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli FM claims progress in prisoner swap deal

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Monday that significant progress has been made in indirect negotiations with Hamas for a prisoner exchange deal.

“Progress was made; we see some progress in the negotiations,” Sa’ar told reporters during a joint news conference in Jerusalem with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

He added that Israel is working with the U.S. to reach a hostage deal. “There is progress, I said it looks much better than previously,” Sa’ar said. “Soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing.”

However, Sa’ar declined to provide a timeline for finalizing the deal. “I don’t want to say more than that, because I realize there are families that are sensitive to every word and every sentence,” he added.

Israeli news outlet Walla reported that Israel is on the brink of finalizing a potential prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas. Citing two unnamed Israeli officials and a foreign source, the site said Israel and mediators have reached a draft agreement for the release of captives held in Gaza and a cease-fire, which has been presented to Hamas.

The sources suggested Hamas’ response might come within the next 24 hours. “It seems we are on the path to an agreement,” one of the sources said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the report.

Israeli opposition group accuse Netanyahu of obstructing deal

Opposition groups in Israel, along with the families of captives, accuse Netanyahu of obstructing progress toward a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

The Israeli military has continued its deadly operations in Gaza, killing nearly 46,600 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023. This comes despite a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the region.

Efforts to broker a cease-fire have been unsuccessful, with Netanyahu resisting calls to end the military campaign. Both sides are now racing to finalize an agreement before the upcoming U.S. administration takes office.