(Bloomberg) — International mediators will resume negotiations for a proposed cease-fire between Israel and Hamas after two days of talks in Qatar, which they said were "serious and constructive".
Discussions will resume in Egypt’s capital Cairo by the end of next week after mediators made a proposal to bridge the remaining gaps between the warring sides, according to a joint statement by mediators Qatar and Egypt as well as the US.
"This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week, and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal," the statement read.
The declaration comes after two days of negotiations that took place in the Qatari capital Doha to pause the war in Gaza.
The various parties worked on a three-stage proposal presented by US President Joe Biden at the end of May, which aims to suspend hostilities, free more than 100 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and transfer more aid to the Gaza Strip.
Biden said in Washington Friday that "we are closer than we’ve ever been" to an agreement. "We’re not there yet but much, much closer than it was three days ago," he said.
Mediators have struggled in previous rounds to resolve a key rift between Israel and Hamas. Israel insists that it will eventually fight on until Hamas is totally destroyed, while the group is demanding that any cease-fire eventually result in an end to the fighting and all Israeli troops withdraw.
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There was significant progress on many elements, according to an Israeli official familiar with the talks, who asked not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
That should enable another principals’ meeting, although gaps still remain over the proposed withdrawal of troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, the southern portion of Gaza that runs along the border with Egypt, the official said.
Another point of contention is the future of military presence around the Netzarim Corridor, which separates Gaza into two roughly equal halves in the north and south, the official said.
The Doha round failed to account for some of the elements that were part of an earlier draft presented in July, the Qatari-owned network Al Jazeera cited an unidentified Hamas official as saying.
The progress cited by the mediators was made during talks attended by an Israeli delegation led by the Mossad spy service chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. CIA director William Burns was also present at the talks, representing the US.
Representatives of Hamas didn’t take part in the Doha discussions, but mediators were briefing them on the outcome of the gatherings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office sought to put the onus on Hamas, saying in a statement Friday that “Israel appreciates the efforts of the US and the mediators to dissuade Hamas from its refusal” to agree to a hostage release deal.
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Hanging over the negotiations are concerns that Israel might come under an Iran-orchestrated attack, possibly putting in jeopardy any proposal for a Gaza truce.
Iran and Lebanon-based Hezbollah are threatening a retaliatory attack against the Jewish state, which they blame for back-to-back assassinations in Beirut and Tehran more than two weeks ago.
Israel hasn’t claimed or acknowledged responsibility for one of those killings — that of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital.
The war in the Palestinian enclave erupted after Hamas fighters swarmed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people. Israel responded with an air and ground assault and more than 40,000 people have died, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US.
–With assistance from Akayla Gardner.
(Updates with Israeli comment in sixth paragraph)
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