Israel says talks on truce and hostage release were ‘constructive’

High-level talks in Paris, focused on negotiating an agreement to suspend fighting in the Gaza Strip and release hostages held by Hamas, were “constructive”, the Israeli prime minister’s office said on Sunday, adding but they continue to exist.important gaps“.

The Prime Minister’s Office Benjamin Netanyahu said talks would continue this week, signaling at least the possibility of moving toward an agreement as the fighting enters its fourth month.

A person briefed on the talks said Israel had submitted a proposal Egypt and Qatar -two countries that have acted as intermediaries since the beginning of the fighting- to achieve this goal Hamaswhich sparked clashes with a deadly cross-border attack on October 7.

Enough progress had been made during the talks for Egypt and Qatar to see fit to take the new proposal to Hamas, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

Sunday’s meeting was attended by the director of the CIA, William J. Burns; Israeli spy chief David Barnea; the head of the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security agency, Ronen Bar; the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, and the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, General Abbas Kamel.

Negotiators were expected to leave Paris, but talks are expected to continue in the coming days in the hope that the new proposal can break the impasse and start negotiations in earnest, the person said without revealing any details about the proposal.

Arm wrestling

For months, Israeli leaders have vowed to continue the war against Hamas until the organization’s military capabilities and its ability to govern Gaza are dismantled and it no longer poses a threat.

But Hamas leaders do publicly conditioned any new hostage releases to an Israeli commitment to a complete cessation of the war.

In recent days, US-led negotiators had drawn up a draft written agreement that merged the proposals put forward by Israel and Hamas into a basic framework under which Israel would suspend its war in Gaza for about two months in exchange for staggered release of over 100 hostages that Hamas continues to hold.

Efforts to free more hostages have stalled since an initial deal in November led to a weeklong lull in fighting and the release of more than 100 hostages by Hamas and about 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Hamas.

About 136 people taken hostage in the October 7 attack remain missing, although about two dozen are presumed dead, according to Israeli officials.

According to Israeli authorities, around 1,200 people were killed in the attacks.

There was no immediate information on where and when the new talks would be held, or who might attend them.

But the push to reach a new deal comes as the hostages’ families and their supporters have increased pressure on the Israeli government to prioritize their release over continued fighting, and as food and water worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where, according to health authorities, people have died more than 26,000 people since the beginning of the Israeli military response.

Discussion

An intense debate rages in Israel over whether the advancing military offensive is bringing a hostage deal closer by putting pressure on Hamas leaders in Gaza or staving off prospects for a deal and endangering prisoners.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister and key member of the country’s five-person war cabinet, told reserve troops he met on Sunday:

“Thanks to what they have done and continue to do, in these days we are carrying out a process of negotiations for the release of the hostages”, adding that Israel will intensify military pressure.

c.2024 The New York Times Company