Israel-Hamas hostage deal ‘close’ as Netanyahu set to meet with Biden, Harris: US official

Negotiations on a ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners deal in Israel-Hamas war appear to be in their closing stages as US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to discuss remaining gaps, a senior US official said on Thursday, News.Az reports citing the Times of Israel.

The official said the remaining obstacles were bridgeable and and agreement was close. The deal calls for an initial six-week ceasefire that would take place alongside the release of women, elderly men and wounded hostages from the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.

“There’s a deal ready to move ahead on phase one if we get the arrangements worked out,” the official said during a phone briefing with reporters.

Among the remaining issues was the requirement for Hamas to provide a list of whom it will free and when, and how many inmates it demands to see released from Israeli prison in exchange.

“We need some things from Hamas, including the hostages who are going to come out. We’re not going to do a deal until we know exactly the hostages who are coming out and the schedule that they’re coming out,” the senior US administration official clarified.

This was a sticking point raised by Israel months ago but has more recently been absent from public comments and leaks regarding the state of the negotiations.

“It’s a very different negotiation now than just a month ago, when we had some fundamentally unbridgeable issues,” the official said.

The official clarified that Thursday’s meetings wouldn’t be about getting Netanyahu to sign onto a finalized deal.

“I don’t expect the meeting to be a yes or no,” he said, adding that it will instead be aimed at closing gaps in the talks.

The official noted that there will be subsequent critical in-person meetings between stakeholders in Washington over the coming week.

News.Az