Arab diplomat says hostage talks progressing but deal still likely to be weeks away

Hebrew media reports are slightly more optimistic, citing Israeli officials who speculate an agreement is possible before the year ends and credit CIA chief for recent advances

Protesters outside the IDF's Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv call for the release of the hostages on December 17, 2024. (AP/Ariel Schalit)
Protesters outside the IDF's Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv call for the release of the hostages on December 17, 2024. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

Mediators continue to make progress toward a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, but will likely need weeks — not just days — in order to finalize an agreement, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel on Thursday.

“The trajectory is good, but there are still major issues to be negotiated followed by difficult political decisions that both sides will need to make, the diplomat said.

Hebrew media reporting appeared slightly more optimistic on Thursday, with claims from unnamed Israeli officials who maintained that a deal was possible before the end of December.

One of those officials told the Walla news site that talks in Qatar in recent days have been productive, but that gaps remain.

Channel 12 news reported that further progress had been made in the past day toward bridging gaps on some of the most controversial issues.

“We are in the final stages of reconciliation,” an Israeli official told the network, adding that the sides will know in the coming days whether there will be a deal or not.

CIA Director William Burns (C) departs after testifying before the US Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 11, 2024. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)

The Israeli official credited CIA Director Bill Burns for securing the latest compromises between the sides. Burns arrived in Qatar on Wednesday in order to advance the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the official in charge of hostage-related affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office, Yaron Cohen, sent a message to the families of captives on Thursday saying that the combination of recent developments in the region and American influence has created the conditions under which a deal can be reached.

Cohen cautioned the families against relying on media reports, urging them to reach out directly to the Prime Minister’s Office if they had any questions.

Also on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the Biden administration’s belief that a deal is possible due to what Washington believes is the recent isolation of Hamas and weakening of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance.

“The reality is we should logically be able to get this, and I say that with all the caution that comes with that statement because we’ve been very close before and we’ve had these ‘Lucy and the football’ moments where you’re just ready to kick the football and Lucy pulls it away,” he told Bloomberg.

The nature of the ceasefire deal is the main issue of contention in the talks, with Hamas demanding a permanent end to the fighting sparked by its October 2023 onslaught along with the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, while Israel is seeking a temporary pause during which some of the hostages would be released followed by a resumption of its fighting in order to finish dismantling the terror group’s military and governing capabilities.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, October 24, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool via AP)

Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that there are still disagreements on several key issues including the number and identity of the hostages to be freed; a mechanism for the return of displaced Palestinians to the north of the Gaza Strip; the identity of the Palestinian security prisoners to be released as part of the deal; and a mechanism for exiling the most dangerous of those prisoners to other countries.

Hamas officials also indicated Wednesday that there was progress in the talks.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen news outlet in Lebanon quoted an unnamed senior Hamas official as saying that there has been considerable progress in the negotiations for a phased hostage release and ceasefire deal with Israel.

According to the official, Israel’s demand during the first stage of the deal is for the release of 34 hostages on humanitarian grounds — chiefly all remaining women and children, including female IDF soldiers, and the sick and elderly.

It was not immediately clear from the statements whether Hamas had agreed or would be able to release that number of hostages.

Channel 12 reported that Israel was now willing for the bodies of dead hostages to be included in the first round.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich came out on Wednesday against the potential ceasefire-hostage deal, calling it a “serious error.” He joins fellow far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir who has also come out fervently against the type of deal being discussed.

Despite the opposition from within Netanyahu’s coalition, successive polls have indicated that there is broad public support for a deal, even if it means ending the war.

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