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Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – Israelis and Palestinians are signaling renewed efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement, even a limited one, for the first time in a year that would halt fighting in Gaza and return to Israel some of the hostages still being held in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told his American counterpart Lloyd Austin in a phone call Wednesday that there is now a chance for a new deal that would allow the return of all hostages, including American citizens, Katz’s office said.
A Western diplomat in the region, however, said a deal was underway but likely to be limited in scope, including the release of only a few hostages and a brief pause in hostilities.
Such a truce and liberation would be only the second since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
The famous optimism comes as US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan heads to Israel on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then to Egypt and Qatar, which are co-brokering with the US on the deal.
Separately, President-elect Donald Trump demanded that the Palestinian militant group Hamas release hostages held in Gaza before he takes over from Biden on January 20. Otherwise, Trump said, there will be “hell to pay.”
Trump’s hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, said he was also involved, having already spoken to Biden and Netanyahu. Israel says 100 hostages remain trapped in Gaza. Seven are believed to be US citizens.
Referring to Trump’s threat of “hell to pay,” Boehler told Israel’s Channel 13 news last week: “I would appeal to those people who took the hostages: make the best deal now.” Make it now because with each passing day it will get harder and harder and more Hamas lives will be lost.”
Although Biden and Trump work separately, their efforts overlap and both benefit from the deal. A US official said Trump’s public statements about the need for a quick ceasefire “were not harmful”.
The official said the priority is to bring the hostages home, whether it’s at the end of Biden’s term or the beginning of Trump’s term.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, met separately in late November with Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a source familiar with the talks said.
THE TIME IS SUITABLE FOR NETANYAHA
The timing for the deal may never have been better politically for Netanyahu.
The prime minister told reporters on Monday that the increasing isolation of Hamas following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s rule had opened the door to a possible hostage deal, even if it was too early to claim success.
Israel’s military chief and the head of Shin Bet’s internal security service were in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss post-war border crossings and administration in Gaza, according to three Israeli security sources.
The public optimism of Israeli leaders over the past week matches the general tone in internal discussions behind closed doors, an Israeli official said.
For Netanyahu, concessions would be far easier now that Israel has re-established its reputation as the most powerful Middle Eastern power and its Iran-backed enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria now pose less of a threat.
Netanyahu’s once fragile coalition has been strengthened by the addition of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his more centrist faction. Netanyahu, having reached a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, can complete the picture by returning the hostages in agreement with Hamas.
Over the past year, some of the far-right ministers in his cabinet have voiced objections, even threatening to topple the government if the war in Gaza ends. But with Israel’s enemies weakened and his coalition strengthened, Netanyahu is far less politically vulnerable.
Sarr said on Monday that Israel was now more optimistic about a possible hostage deal amid reports that Hamas had asked other Gaza factions to help it compile a list of Israeli and foreign hostages in their custody, whether dead or alive.
A Palestinian official close to the negotiations and familiar with the views of all parties involved described what he called a “negotiation fever” with ideas emerging from all sides, including mediators in Egypt and Qatar.
Trump’s participation has given the talks a boost, even if the sides have yet to present lists of Palestinian prisoners and hostages for exchange or finalize plans for a temporary or phased truce, a Palestinian official said.
He said that Hamas is ready to show some flexibility if there are guarantees that Israel will not continue fighting.
It is unclear how the parties can bridge the largest gap that has persisted through numerous rounds of failed negotiations; Hamas is demanding an end to the war, while Israel says the war will not end until Hamas no longer rules Gaza.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to Jordan and Turkey on Wednesday for talks on Syria, the State Department announced. Israel is not on his official itinerary, but there is always the possibility of adding a stop.
(This story has been corrected to correct Bashar al-Assad’s name in paragraph 13)
