U.S. President Joe Biden delivered an optimistic update on the indirect Gaza hostage/ceasefire deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas overnight between Thursday and Friday, declaring that “real progress” has been achieved, with the possibility of completion before Jan. 20.
The outgoing president revealed he had met earlier with key negotiators while identifying Hamas as the obstacle to finalizing the deal.
In a separate diplomatic development, Biden mentioned his conversation with Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, whom he praised as “the right leader” for the country.
In a parallel development, families of the hostages convened on Thursday with Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, the Prime Minister’s Office coordinator for captives and missing persons.
During the meeting, Hirsch assured family representatives that despite its phased implementation, the agreement under discussion in Qatar encompasses all the hostages. He further emphasized the ongoing coordination with both the outgoing and incoming U.S. administrations to ensure seamless continuity.
Earlier this week, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned that “there will be hell to pay” unless the captives are freed by the time he takes office on Jan. 20.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “They better let the hostages come back soon.”
The negotiations center on the prospect of a 60-day ceasefire and the release of up to 30 hostages. Israel would set free Palestinian terrorists and allow more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza in exchange.
But Hamas wants bodies of dead hostages to be included in the 30 freed Israelis, to which Israel objected. Israel has refused to release some of the terrorists sought by Hamas, which insists that the ceasefire includes a framework for a long-term truce.
The diplomatic momentum continued as Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia on Thursday, where discussions included the international community’s efforts to secure the return of the hostages.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
