Negotiators are very near to concluding a ceasefire deal, which would see Hamas turn over 33 Israeli hostages in the final week of the Biden administration before next Monday, in the latest signal that an agreement could be near. Israeli government believe that Hamas and its allies still hold 94 hostages taken from Israel during the October 7, 2023 attack, at least 34 of whom are dead.
The deal with Hamas would release 33 hostages, some of whom may not be alive, during the initial 42-day ceasefire, Bloomberg reported quoting senior Israeli officials.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he believed a ceasefire deal could be concluded before his inauguration next Monday. "We are very close to getting it done," he said in an interview with Newsmax.
"They will get it done," he went on to predict. "I understand there's been a handshake and they're getting it finished, maybe by the end of the week."
Hours before Trump's remarks, President Joe Biden said both sides were "on the brink of a proposal" during an address at the US State Department.
Similar claims were made by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who said on Monday that there was a "distinct possibility" for a deal as the "pressure is building for Hamas to come to yes."
"It's there for the taking so the question is now can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen," Sullivan said in an interview at Bloomberg about the prospects for a deal.
He noted that the Biden administration's Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, had been in the Middle East for more than a week working out the details of an agreement. He said he has spoken with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as well as Israeli officials and "there is a general sense that this is moving in the right direction."
