Gaza Deal May Be Close: Top US Official

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday that he believed a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release may be close as Israel had signalled it was ready and there were signs of movement from Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
After meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Sullivan said: "It might not happen but I believe it can happen with Political will on both sides." He said he planned to travel to Qatar and Egypt, Washington's fellow moderators of the talks, to advance efforts that "would start bringing those hostages home. It would also allow for a massive surge in humanitarian assistance."
A Western diplomat in the region said this week that a deal was taking shape but was likely to be limited in scope, involving the release of only a handful of hostages and a short pause in hostilities.
Sullivan dismissed suggestions that Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office on Jan. 20 before accepting a deal.
"No, I do not get that sense. I got the sense from the prime minister he is ready to do a deal," he told a press conference in Tel Aviv.
An agreement would also enable the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Anything more than a limited truce remains unlikely so long as both sides stick to demands that have hampered numerous rounds of failed negotiations. "Whether it does get done still depends on both sides signing on the proverbial dotted line," Sullivan said.
Hamas, also backed by Iran, wants an end to the war before all hostages are freed, while Israel says the war will not end until the hostages return and Hamas no longer rules Gaza or constitutes a threat to Israelis.
Trump has demanded Hamas release the hostages held in Gaza before he takes over from Biden on Jan. 20. Otherwise, Trump has said, there will be "hell to pay".
A Palestinian official close to the talks described what he called "a fever of negotiations" with ideas emerging on all sides, including among mediators in Egypt and Qatar and said Trump's involvement had given the talks a boost.

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