Israel And Hamas Are On The Brink Of A Ceasefire Deal

You’ve seen this headline countless times. So we wouldn’t blame you of being a little skeptical. Honestly, until an actual deal is finalized, we’d advise not to expect the fighting in Gaza to stop.

But outgoing President Biden did say that the two sides are moving closer to bridging a fundamental divide. That divide is: Israel wants its hostages back and then continue the war, while Hamas doesn’t want to release captives without ending the war.

Arab and Israeli officials have said that there has been progress on that front. This comes in the final week of Joe Biden’s Presidency, with Donald Trump set to take office next Monday.

Indeed, representatives of both sides have confirmed that a deal is in the works. A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC that the terms of a deal between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages are being finalized.

An Israeli official also told Reuters that negotiations were in “advanced stages”, with a deal possible in “hours, days or more”. Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar – who is mediating the negotiations – on Monday.

The Palestinian official told the BBC that Hamas and Israeli officials were conducting indirect talks in the same building on Monday. The official stated that “the detailed technical discussions took considerable time”. 

Both sides agreed that Hamas would release three hostages on the first day of the agreement, after which Israel would begin withdrawing the troops from populated areas.

Seven days later, Hamas would release four additional hostages, and Israel would allow displaced people in the southern to return to the north, but only on foot via the coastal road.

The agreement includes provisions for Israeli forces to remain in the Philadelphi corridor and maintain an 800-meter buffer zone along the eastern and northern borders during the first phase, which will last 42 days. 

Israel has also agreed to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including approximately 190 who have been serving sentences of 15 years or more. In exchange, Hamas will release 34 hostages.

With increasing reports that a deal was close, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said a deal could be done “this week” – the final week of Biden’s presidency.

With Israel continuously getting military victories against Hamas and Hezbollah, it is possible that they have concluded that they have accomplished what they set out to do militarily, and can now end the war.

It should be noted that there have been multiple ceasefire deals that fell through, and until we see it finalized, there is every possibility that this one ends like its predecessors.

But because we have seen a much more specifically laid out plan for a ceasefire, both sides have indicated that they view this deal as close to being complete, and because the Biden administration is eager to get a win in the final week of their term, there is real hope that this time, peace will finally come to this war torn region.