Trump mediator says Israel-Hamas ceasefire-hostage deal possible ‘within days’

The Palestinian-American political activist who has been mediating between the Trump administration and Hamas says it is possible to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “within days.”

Bishara Bahbah, who is mediating alongside Egypt and Qatar, says in an interview with the Al Ghad TV channel that he is optimistic about the chances for a deal following today’s ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which returns Gaza to the top of the regional agenda.

A senior Arab diplomat tells The Times of Israel that he is not as optimistic, saying that Israel has not budged from its refusal to provide an upfront commitment to permanently end the war. Israel has instead offered to spread out the release of hostages throughout the temporary ceasefire on the table, but the sequencing of the releases is not a critical issue blocking a deal, the Arab diplomat says.

While Bahbah clarifies that the Israel-Iran war is not linked to the Israel-Hamas war, he tells Al Ghad that Qatari and Egyptian mediators are now determined to secure a deal that ends the latter conflict now that the former one has been settled.

He asserts that there are very few disagreements remaining between Israel and Hamas and that the main one is about the wording of a particular sentence — an ostensible reference to the clause pertaining to the end of the temporary ceasefire and whether it is extended if the sides haven’t reached an agreement on the terms of a permanent ceasefire by then, as Hamas is demanding.

The interview is held in Egypt where Bahbah is now stationed in order to advance an agreement. He says he met with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in order to discuss remaining gaps in the talks.

Bahbah says there are several hostage deal proposals being discussed, with some being comprehensive and others being partial. He stresses that one of the key goals is to secure a surge of humanitarian aid into the Strip, given that Israel has only been allowing an average of roughly 60 trucks per day over the past month — far below the hundreds that the UN says is needed to address the humanitarian crisis.