As ceasefire negotiations continued in the Gaza Strip, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the negotiations were close to their goal, while the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted informed diplomats as saying that there were many obstacles still hindering the negotiations.
Sullivan confirmed during an interview with the American network “MSNBC” that the negotiations regarding Gaza have approached their goal, and that with the pressure of the mediators and the commitment of Israel and the Hamas movement, this can be achieved.
The US National Security Advisor said that the obstacles preventing reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza relate to the details, determining the names of the hostages and prisoners who will be released, and the distribution of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire.
Sullivan added that these obstacles can be overcome if Hamas is willing to agree to conclude this deal.
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said yesterday, Wednesday, that he is still optimistic that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip can be reached during the remaining days of President Joe Biden’s term, refusing to make any speculation about the possibility of success of the negotiation efforts after Washington failed over the past 14 months. In that.
Blinken, who will leave office when Biden’s term ends on January 20, said, “I’m optimistic. You have to be. We’ll use every minute of every day of every week we have left to try to get this done.”
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On the other hand, the American Minister stressed that the Israeli army remaining in the Gaza Strip indefinitely is not in Israel’s interest.
He said that if the Israelis decide to remain in the Strip, “they will have to face an insurgency for many years, and this is not in their interest.”
“A swap deal is not imminent.”
The Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted informed diplomats as saying that an exchange deal between Israel and Hamas is not imminent.
They stressed that there are many obstacles still hindering the ceasefire negotiations.
Meanwhile, the American CNN network quoted an informed diplomatic source as saying that the terms of the prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza are generally consistent with the proposal presented by US President Joe Biden earlier this year.
The source added that what has changed is that Israeli forces are likely to remain in Gaza temporarily in both the Philadelphia axis and the Netzarim corridor.
Relentless efforts in Doha
The American news website Axios also reported that CIA Director William Burns is visiting Doha to discuss negotiations on the exchange deal with the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.
Axios quoted an American official as saying that White House Middle East Affairs Advisor Brett McGurk arrived in Doha and is participating in talks with Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli officials.
The Hamas movement had confirmed in a statement – the day before yesterday, Tuesday – that in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place in Doha under the auspices of the Qatari and Egyptian mediator brothers, reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement is possible if the occupation stops setting new conditions.
Hamas has repeatedly stressed that any prisoner exchange agreement must lead to an end to the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the return of the displaced to their areas. It has previously accused Netanyahu of procrastinating and setting new conditions to thwart efforts to reach an agreement.
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Israeli statements
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that, during his meeting with the German Foreign and Security Advisor, he confirmed Israel’s desire to reach a deal as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as saying that if Hamas intends to request a halt to the war, this will not happen.
In a related context, the families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza demanded a comprehensive deal that would guarantee the return of all prisoners.
Representatives of the families said they would not support any phased exchange deal. They stressed during a press conference in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv that dividing the deal into installments would put the lives of most of the detainees at risk, and they stressed the necessity of not having any of the detainees remain in Gaza.