Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday sent a high-level delegation to Doha to help reach a hostage cease-fire agreement with Hamas, following recent progress in negotiations and a last-minute push by President-elect Donald Trump. did.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision, which hinged on whether negotiations were progressing enough to warrant sending a negotiating team, was made after talks with Israeli security chiefs and officials from the Biden and incoming Trump administrations, the Times reported.・The newspaper of Israel reported.
After Witkoff met with mediators in Qatar on Friday, Netanyahu spoke earlier in the day with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East point person.
At a news conference in Doha, Witkoff reportedly said Trump hoped for a deal “within a few days.”
Also among the Israeli delegation heading to the table in Doha are Mossad spy chief David Barnea and Israel Defense Forces hostage handler Maj. Gen. Nizan Alon.
The Times of Israel reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s green light came despite mediators downplaying progress and Israeli officials disputing claims of “significant progress.” The talks took place amid “generally cautious progress”, sources involved in the talks said.
White House officials remain hopeful that a deal can be reached before President Trump takes office on January 20, but said Friday that the terrorist group Hamas “continues to create obstacles at the negotiating table.” said.
CIA Director Williams Burns told NPR that negotiations are “very serious” and “could be completed within the next few weeks,” praising the coordination between the Biden administration and the Trump campaign.
“President-elect Trump has expressed a desire to reach an agreement before he takes office,” Burns added.
The president-elect previously warned Hamas: “If the hostages are not returned by the time I take office, there will be hell in the Middle East.”
The first phase of the agreement could include a cessation of fighting, the release of Palestinian prisoners, aid to the Gaza Strip, and the release of 34 hostages, including the bodies of those who died in captivity.
Approximately 100 hostages, including seven Americans, are still being held by Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. Officials say up to half of them may have died.
with post wire
