Gaza ceasefire deal likely this week, says Joe Biden's adviser
- 16 hours ago
The Biden administration sees a possible Gaza truce as soon as this week, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Bloomberg News on Monday, adding that there were no guarantees that the parties would agree to such a deal.
Sullivan, speaking to Bloomberg in an interview, added that US President Joe Biden's administration has been in contact with incoming President Donald Trump's team and has sought to have a united front on the issue ahead of Washington's Jan.20 transition of power.
"The pressure building here towards the end of President Biden's term has been considerable," Sullivan said. "It's there for the taking." Sullivan said the US president would soon speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi about the negotiations.
Sullivan said it remained to be seen whether a deal would actually be reached.
"The question is now: Can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen," Sullivan told Bloomberg, adding that Biden had directed him to work closely with the incoming team.
QATAR EMIR MEETS ENVOYS
Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani met on Monday with the Middle East envoys for the incoming and outgoing US administrations, his office said in a statement.
Sheikh Tamim met with Steve Witkoff, US President-elect Donald Trump's expected Middle East envoy, and Brett McGurk, the incumbent Joe Biden's envoy for the region, the statement said. It added they "reviewed developments in the Gaza Strip... as well as the latest developments in the ceasefire negotiations."
Sheikh Tamim also received a Hamas delegation headed by senior official Khalil al-Hayya to discuss the ceasefire talks, the emir's office said.
FINAL DRAFT
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal on Monday to end the war in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight "breakthrough" in talks attended by envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The official said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha, which included the chiefs of Israel's Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies and Qatar's prime minister.
Steve Witkoff, who will become US envoy when Trump returns to the US presidency next week, attended the talks, the official said. A US source said the outgoing Biden administration's envoy Brett McGurk was also there.
"The next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching the deal," the official said, characterising the draft as the outcome of a breakthrough reached in the early hours of Monday.
Israel's Kan radio, citing an Israeli official, reported on Monday that Israeli and Hamas delegations in Qatar had both received a draft, and that the Israeli delegation had briefed Israel's leaders. Israel, Hamas and the foreign ministry of Qatar did not respond to requests for confirmation or comment.
US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a deal hasn't been reached yet, officials said on Monday.
Four officials acknowledged that progress has been made and said the coming days would be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that has destabilised the Middle East. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss the talks.
50 MORE GAZANS KILLED
Gaza's civil defence agency reported that a wave of Israeli air strikes killed more than 50 people in the Palestinian territory's main city on Monday.
Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the strikes pounded Gaza City throughout the day, hitting "schools, homes and even gatherings of people."
Seven people were killed in a strike on a group of Palestinians on Al Maamal Street in Gaza City, the agency reported.
And five people lost their lives in another strike that hit Salaheddin Al Ayyubi School in the city's Al Darraj neighbourhood, it added.
The remaining casualties occurred in other strikes across Gaza City throughout the day, according to the agency.
Agencies
