From the Liveblog of
Thursday, September 5, 2024
US, Egyptian sources say negotiators racing to present new hostage-ceasefire proposal
The White House is scrambling to put forward a new proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas in the coming days, two US officials, two Egyptian security sources and an official with knowledge of the matter tell Reuters.
The new proposal aims to work out the major sticking points behind a months-long impasse in talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt seeking a truce in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to the US officials.
US President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that he was “very close” to presenting a final hostage deal proposal by the end of the week.
Much of the deal has been agreed upon, a senior Biden administration official separately tells reporters, but negotiators are still trying to hammer out solutions to two main obstacles — Israel’s demand to keep forces on the Egypt-Gaza border, and the specific individuals who would be included in an exchange of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 and Palestinian security prisoners in Israel.
The first US official says a new draft accord could be produced next week or even sooner. “The feeling is the time is up. Don’t be surprised if you see (the revised draft) this weekend,” that official says.
The administration official says Hamas’ killing of six hostages, whose bodies were returned to Israel over the weekend, complicates the effort. “We all feel the urgency,” the administration official says. CIA Director William Burns, the lead US negotiator, heads the small group of senior US officials working on the draft, which includes White House coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the first US official says.
“There is a very strong perception on the part of the negotiators that the ceasefire is slipping away,” the first US official says, underscoring the urgency underpinning the effort.
The official adds that mediators have kept up working-level discussions since Blinken’s latest tour of the region last month failed to produce a breakthrough and that those talks are continuing.
The Egyptian sources say the US is shifting from a more consultative approach to trying to impose a ceasefire plan on the parties.
Both US officials say the revised plan will not be a final take-it-or-leave-it offer and that Washington will continue working towards a ceasefire if it falls through.
