WASHINGTON: On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced that discussions have resulted in a provisional agreement to secure the release of Hamas inmates in exchange for a short-term truce in Gaza.
Multilateral negotiations took place in Paris and Doha last week, and Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, is scheduled to visit the French capital in a few days.
The discussions “will be followed by meetings in Cairo” and are a “continuation of what was discussed in Paris,” according to an earlier report from Al-Qahera News, an outlet connected to Egyptian state intelligence services.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Hamas’ demands for a truce and Israel’s exit from Gaza “delusional” and has vowed to push further into the region.
Israeli strikes have killed nearly 29,700 Palestinians so far; US allies express dissatisfaction with Washington’s strategy
“The four of them came to an understanding about what the fundamental contours of a hostage agreement for temporary ceasefire would resemble like,” Mr. Sullivan said CNN after representatives from Israel, the US, Egypt, and Qatar met in Paris.
The health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, announced on Sunday that at least 29,692 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli strikes, indicating that the intensified diplomacy is having little impact on the ground. Since the fighting started on October 7, 69,879 people have been injured. The toll includes 86 fatalities in the last 24 hours.
Hamas and Israel are connected through Qatar and Egypt.
According to US media, Hamas was told about the Paris negotiations on Sunday, but it hasn’t yet accepted the agreement.
“Qatar and Egypt will have to have indirect discussions with Hamas because in the end they will have to agree to release the hostages,” stated Mr. Sullivan.
