CNN
—
International mediators are pressing for an urgent ceasefire and hostage agreement to be reached as soon as next week after Israel and Hamas made new oversight proposals to the warring parties in key talks in Qatar.
A joint statement from the United States, Qatar and Egypt said the “bridging proposal” presented on Friday was intended to bridge remaining differences between the two sides.
US President Joe Biden expressed optimism about the status of ceasefire and hostage release talks due to resume in Cairo next week. “We’re closer than we’ve ever been,” he said, adding that the latest round of talks put the possibility of an agreement “a lot closer than it was three days ago.”
But Hamas leaders see the new US proposal as responding to and complying with Israel’s conditions, a senior Hamas official with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN, accusing Israel of adding the new conditions to stall an agreement.
Meanwhile, an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations said Israeli negotiators returned to Israel late Friday and expressed cautious optimism about the prospects of reaching an agreement. “They’ve bridged the gap,” the source said. “It’s been a very productive, positive negotiation.”
But the sources cautioned that the bridge proposal has yet to be submitted to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, a process that is expected to take place this weekend.
The two-day talks came amid rising tensions across the region over a potential Iranian attack on Israel, which risks further undermining already fragile negotiations.
Biden on Friday sent a warning message to Iran and its proxies not to take any action that would “undermine” progress in negotiations.
The president added that he would send Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel this weekend to “reaffirm” the White House’s “unwavering support for Israel’s security.”
According to diplomatic sources close to the negotiations, both meetings were attended by CIA Director Bill Burns, Mossad Director David Barnea, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Head Abbas Kamel.
A joint statement from the United States, Qatar and Egypt said the proposal “builds on agreements reached over the past week” and would “close remaining gaps in a manner that will allow for the swift implementation of the agreement.”
Senior US, Qatari and Egyptian officials aim to meet again in Cairo by the end of next week “to conclude an agreement based on the terms put forward on Friday,” the joint statement said.
The statement added that the talks had been “serious and constructive”, but did not elaborate on what agreements had been reached in the past week.
Israel said Friday it welcomed the mediators’ efforts but did not explicitly support the latest proposals put forward.
“Israel appreciates the efforts of the United States and the mediators to persuade Hamas to reject the hostage release agreement,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“Israel’s fundamental principles are well known to the mediators and the United States, and Israel hopes that their pressure will lead Hamas to accept the principles of the May 27 agreement and that the details of the agreement will be implemented.”
Later that evening, an Israeli source told CNN that a working-level delegation remained in Doha and another would fly to Cairo this weekend to work out the technical details of the agreement’s implementation.
Hamas has not rejected the hostage release agreement, as the Prime Minister’s Office statement suggested. On Thursday, Hamas reiterated its position that neither the hostage agreement nor a ceasefire will go ahead unless Israeli forces fully withdraw from Gaza.
A senior Hamas official with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to CNN that the militant group believes Israel continues to evade and obstruct, insisting on adding new conditions to delay the agreement.
Hamas did not attend the talks but negotiated separately with Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.
The death toll in Gaza has reached 40,000 since Israel launched its war against Hamas earlier this week, a grim figure that highlights the desperation of Gazans seeking relief from 10 months of bloody conflict.
But talks toward a ceasefire have been shrouded in uncertainty since an Israeli attack in late July killed a former Hamas political leader and a senior member of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
It is understood the two sides were unable to agree on the finer details of implementing the proposal.
A regional diplomat familiar with the negotiations told CNN that continuing challenges for Hamas include Israel’s restrictions on the movement of people from southern to northern Gaza, its demand for a veto over the release of Palestinian prisoners, and Israel’s continued presence in the Philadelphia Corridor and at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Both Israel and Hamas may be forced to be more flexible in the coming days to reach an agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already facing significant pressure from the United States, which is expected to be conveyed during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel next week. Qatar and Egypt also plan to apply further pressure on Hamas.
It remains to be seen whether an agreement will be reached, but Israeli sources said a deal could be announced when officials meet again in mid-to-late next week.
A major retaliatory attack by Iran against Israel could still derail cease-fire talks, which U.S. officials say were making progress before the assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah’s military commander in Beirut.
Iran has alleged Israeli responsibility for Haniya’s death. Israel has neither admitted nor denied responsibility.
On Friday, Iran’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, expressed skepticism about the sincerity of the negotiations and accused the United States of bias in a phone call with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
“By supplying the Zionists with weapons of war, the US is becoming an accomplice rather than a neutral intermediary,” Bagheri tweeted.
Meanwhile, a senior US official warned that if Tehran decides to attack Israel and escalate the Middle East conflict, it could have devastating consequences “particularly for Iran”.
The official added that the United States, through intermediaries, was urging Iran not to attack because a “pathway” had been laid out for a ceasefire and hostage agreement. The de-escalation and a possible ceasefire agreement were moving “separately” but “in parallel,” the official said.
Asked by CNN’s MJ Lee whether the US would get involved in an attack on Iran after Israeli Foreign Minister Katz said he had told his British and French foreign ministers that they would expect to attack Iran if it attacked Israel, a senior administration official evaded the call, saying “the situation is highly hypothetical.”
“We have deployed necessary military resources to the region to prepare for any contingency and are working in very close coordination with our partners and allies,” the official added.
“We are prepared for all contingencies and we intend to support Israel’s defense and we’re not going to be pre-emptive on anything else. But I think this attack from Iran has been predicted before and has been predicted every day for the last two and a half weeks, so we’ll see how it goes. Let’s just say we are prepared,” they added.
CNN’s Samantha Woldenberg contributed reporting
