Negotiators race to secure Israel-Hamas hostage and ceasefire deal ahead of Ramadan
The Biden administration is racing against the clock as it attempts to secure a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war before Ramadan next month, with senior US officials believing that the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza is the only plausible way to bring the first pause to the deadly conflict since a seven-day truce in late November – and possibly, an eventual end to the war.
Looming over the hostage deal discussions is the threat by Israel to launch an offensive into Rafah in southern Gaza, where around 1.5 million displaced Gazans have fled. US officials have pointedly warned Israel against pushing farther south without guaranteeing the safety of those civilians – a seemingly impossible task.
“If there’s an operation against Rafah, we can forget about a deal happening,” said a diplomat familiar with the negotiations between Israel and Hamas being mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan beginning on March 10, the next two weeks of negotiations are “pivotal,” a source familiar with the ongoing efforts told CNN. An aggressive military push by Israel during Ramadan would only further inflame tensions across the region.
What is less clear to some officials involved in the discussions is to what extent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would prefer a pause in the fighting over an offensive in Rafah that would continue his goal of trying to dismantle Hamas.
“It doesn’t look like Netanyahu is willing to do any deal at the moment,” the diplomat said.
The stakes of the moment could hardly be higher given that a successful deal could usher in a new and potentially final phase of a war that is now fully in its fifth month. The pause and hostage talks, sources say, have been difficult despite some progress being made in recent weeks – and far more complicated than the first round of negotiations.
Several of President Joe Biden’s top national security officials have been traveling in and out of the Middle East in quick succession in recent weeks, pushing Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement that would launch an initial six-week pause in fighting and the eventual release of the more than 100 remaining hostages.
White House Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk was back in Cairo on Wednesday before going to Israel on Thursday to continue these efforts; his trip comes on the heels of CIA Director Bill Burns’ visit to the region last week which included stops in Doha, Israel and Cairo.
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