Washington believes there’s a ‘pretty significant opening’ to reach hostage-ceasefire deal – senior US official

Washington believes Israel and Hamas have a “pretty significant opening” to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by the terror group since October 7, a senior US official says.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official says the Hamas proposal “moves the process forward and may provide the basis for closing the deal,” while stressing it does not mean an agreement was likely in the coming days, and that “significant work” remains.

Hamas has insisted on an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal of all troops from Gaza as a prelude to any hostage deal, a term Israel has repeatedly rejected.

The current version of the deal in play is based on a proposal made public at the end of May in a speech by Biden, built on a three-stage long-term Israeli outline that would ultimately lead to the end of the war and the release of all the hostages.

More than six months of negotiations carried out by mediators including the US, Qatar and Egypt have time and again failed to advance toward a deal that would see the release of the 116 hostages kidnapped on October 7 who are believed to remain captive in Gaza, in exchange for a truce in fighting and the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.