Israel and Hamas near an agreement on a truce to release hostages. Image: The New York Times
(The Post News)-Israel and Hamas are reportedly close to an agreement on a truce. Negotiations to release captives are in the making. Things are moving at an accelerated pace in the wake of this urgency. President-elect, Donald Trump takes office on January 20. The hope is to resolve the crisis before Trump returns to office.
Sources privy to the talks, arranged by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, states Israeli envoys and Hamas representatives have been handed the final version of a deal.
Moreover, the offer would have ended nearly 15 months of fighting. Furthermore, it could have secured the release of 98 prisoners, including seven U.S. citizens held in Gaza.
Of course, Trump stated the clear and visible repercussions of not delivering the prisoners before the inauguration.
In the first place, it all started on October 7th, 2023. Hamas dared the unprecedented. Casualties reached a shocking 1200. Over 250 Israelis were abducted. The chaos became known as “the Great Destruction” by Palestinians.
Military operations were launched against Hamas subsequently and led by Israel. Hamas-run agencies count nearly 46,000 deaths outright in the conflict without any distinction between civilians and combatants.
Dialogue at Doha had taken place between Mossad Director David Barnea and US Mideast envoy Stephen Witkoff.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Barnea participated and the talks were central.
U.S. President Joe Biden has backed a cease-fire deal. He is calling for the immediate release of hostages and allowing humanitarian aid to continue. Over the weekend, Biden and Netanyahu discussed the cease-fire deal. Biden reiterated the importance of reaching an agreement right away.
However, there still exist fractures in Israel’s political leadership. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich opposes the new deal. He calls it a “national security catastrophe,” calling on Israel to continue attacking Gaza. Some measure of Netanyahu’s international isolation grows, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum sets expectations for an immediate dealing [sic].
Additionally, the deal is teetering in the run-up to Trump’s inauguration. Nevertheless, Witkoff was cautiously optimistic about the factors of Trump being Trump-in-denial being a central mediator in negotiations. Yet, administration officials in the Biden administration and others around negotiations have said the dynamics are much more thorny.
The next few days will shape whether this near agreement can mean an end to the cover fire of the carnage in Gaza and deliver justice for the killed hostages.
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