Hamas under pressure to accept US hostage offer; Cairo talks loom

Hamas is under pressure to accept the US “transitional proposal” for a Gaza hostage deal, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken due to arrive in Israel on Sunday, ahead of what Washington hopes will be a final round of talks in Cairo on Wednesday.

“There is no response from Hamas,” a source told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday, explaining that “there is strong pressure on Hamas” from the United States, Egypt and Qatar to “give a positive response.”

These two Arab countries were the main mediators of the agreement, with the support of the United States.

The United States and Israel expressed cautious optimism after CIA Director William Burns held two days of talks in Doha that ended Friday. CIA Director William Burns testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats to U.S. security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 11, 2024. (Reuters/Julia Nikhinson/File Photo)

The talks were attended by US special envoy Brett McGurk, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The high-level Israeli delegation that returned on Friday was led by Mossad chief David Barnea.

Hamas was not directly involved in the negotiations but was kept informed of progress.

Following the Doha negotiations, the United States put on the table a “final transition proposal,” which it said addresses tensions between Israel and Hamas over the three-phase hostage-taking proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden on May 31, based on an Israeli proposal of May 27.

A senior administration official told reporters Friday that “what's on the table today closes virtually all the gaps, and we think it's time to wrap it up. And when we meet next weekend, our goal will be to get that done.”

Barnea's team briefed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the discussions in Doha, his office said Saturday night.

“The team expressed to the prime minister cautious optimism that progress on the agreement could be achieved, in line with the updated US proposal (based on the May 27 framework), including elements acceptable to Israel,” the prime minister's office said.

“It is hoped that the strong pressure exerted on Hamas by the United States and the mediators will help to remove its opposition to the American proposal and lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations,” the Prime Minister's Office said.

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A source confirmed to the Jerusalem Post that there had been “significant progress” and that the US had presented a “creative” proposal that allowed for some “flexibility.”

Lower-level Israeli teams are expected to travel to Qatar and Cairo on Sunday to continue negotiations.

A senior US administration official said: “This is the final step, the end of the process.”

Channel 12 reported that under the terms of the rapprochement proposal, female hostages, including female soldiers, would be released first.

It has long been understood that 18 to 33 hostages among the remaining 115 captives, known as humanitarian cases, would be released in the first six weeks of the proposal in exchange for a lull in the war.

Two hostages held by Hamas since 2014 and 2015, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, would also be released during this first phase.

In addition, Israel received a list of Palestinian security prisoners and terrorists that Hamas wants to see released in exchange for the hostages.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday that parties negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza were closer to reaching an agreement but were not there yet.

“We're much, much closer than we were three days ago,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “I don't want to jinx it,” he said, explaining that “we're not there yet,” but “we're close.”

The stakes are high to secure a deal that would see the return of the remaining 115 hostages in Gaza and a ceasefire agreement that would end the war that began on October 7.

The United States also hopes that a deal would prevent retaliatory strikes against Israel by Iran and its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, which it fears could trigger a regional war.

Qatar keeps dogs at bay

The Washington Post reported that Thani spoke with Iranian leaders and urged Tehran not to attack Israel as intense diplomatic efforts were underway to finalize a deal.

An anonymous source linked to Hezbollah also told the Washington Post that Hezbollah would refrain from launching a major attack, which could potentially jeopardize ceasefire efforts. Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed to X that a conversation had taken place with Qatar.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Friday that the U.S. administration was trying to create a “falsely positive atmosphere” and had no real intention of ending the war in Gaza and was only trying to buy time.

Several Hamas officials on Saturday denied US and Israeli claims that a ceasefire and hostage-taking deal was moving forward, insisting it was an “illusion” and that the sides must abide by the July 2 agreement put forward by US President Joe Biden.

Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad lambasted Netanyahu for “undermining” ongoing hostage and ceasefire negotiations in an interview with Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen newspaper on Friday.

Hamad told Al-Mayadeen that Netanyahu was “practicing deception” and claimed that he was “setting new conditions and undermining what was previously agreed.”

Hamad suggested that Netanyahu was not interested in a deal and was actively blocking the conclusion of negotiations.

Hamad: 'Netanyahu undermined the deal from the ground up.'

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau, insisted that the terrorist group would only adhere to the conditions discussed during the mediation attempts on July 2, it was announced on Hamas' Telegram channel.

Badran stressed that the July 2 talks focused on a proposal by US President Joe Biden, which he attributed to Israel. Citing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Badran claimed that Netanyahu was preventing the parties from reaching an agreement.

In a joint statement, Qatar, Egypt and the United States said Friday that “senior officials from our governments will meet in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim of concluding the agreement on the terms proposed” in Doha on Friday.

“The path is now clear to achieve this outcome, to save lives, bring relief to the people of Gaza and ease regional tensions,” the three countries said.

“As the leaders of the three countries stated last week, there is no more time to waste and no excuses for further delay. It is time to release the hostages and detainees, begin the ceasefire and implement this agreement,” the three countries stressed in their statement.

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