United States President Joe Biden has said that a Gaza ceasefire deal is now in sight and warned parties in the Middle East to not undermine the ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement that would see the release of captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
Biden told reporters on Friday that a deal was “much, much closer” than before the talks began, but he also cautioned that “we’re not there yet”.
“There’s a couple more issues. I think we’ve got a shot,” he said.
Previous efforts by the Biden administration to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza have failed and criticism of the president has surged as Washington appears unwilling to use leverage with its key ally Israel.
In a separate statement, Biden announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be travelling to the Middle East starting on Saturday to continue the diplomatic push.
Biden also said that he spoke with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who he said expressed strong support for the US efforts.
In the Qatari capital, Doha, where Qatari, Egyptian and US negotiation mediators are trying to hammer out a deal on Gaza, ceasefire talks were paused on Friday, but are expected to resume next week with the hope of concluding an agreement in Cairo.
“The path is now set for that outcome, saving lives, bringing relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalating regional tensions,” Qatar, Egypt and the US said in a joint statement on Friday.
A senior US official has described the latest diplomatic efforts to end the 10-month violence as the most productive in months.
Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, the official said that there is a “consensus” by all of the participants over the past 48 hours “that there’s really a new spirit here to drive it to a conclusion”.
“We made a lot of progress in the number of issues that we’ve been working on,” the official said.
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said that there is “a sense of optimism” about the talks, adding that negotiators have been able to “bridge the gap” on the swap of Hamas captives and Palestinian detainees in Israel. Other difficulties include questions over who controls the Gaza-Egypt border after the war and the free movement for Palestinians inside Gaza, he said.
On Thursday, an Israeli delegation and mediators began the latest round in months of talks to end the war in Gaza, which has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians. The Palestinian group Hamas was not directly involved in the talks but was kept briefed on their progress.
The Israeli delegation included Mossad spy chief David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service, Ronen Bar, and the military’s chief hostage negotiator, Nitzan Alon, officials said.
The White House sent CIA Director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel were also taking part.
Washington hopes a ceasefire agreement in Gaza can defuse the risk of a wider war amid Iran’s warning that it will retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
