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Ceasefire Talks Between Israel, Hamas Making Progress

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

SO far, the ongoing ceasefire fire talks between negotiators from Israel and Hamas is making progress.

According to Raf Sanchez and Chantal Da Silva of NBC News, the White House has been pushing both sides to reach an agreement by the end of the week and a deal may be just days away.

“We are the closest we’ve ever been,” one diplomatic source told our source Monday.

Under the current proposal, the first hostages held by Hamas would be released 48 hours after the ceasefire is announced and in place, the officials said.

One of the U.S. officials said the first set of hostages set to be released under the proposed deal are “in very bad shape.” The release of the rest of the hostages held in Gaza would eventually follow, including the Americans who continue to be held by Hamas.

The current proposal also calls for Israel to withdraw from populated areas of Gaza to the Israeli border.

The development comes as optimism continued to build within the Biden administration over recent progress in the monthslong talks.

Washington is looking to secure a ceasefire deal ending more than 15 months of deadly fighting in Gaza and securing the release of hostages held in the enclave for just as long, before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next Monday on Jan. 20.

The incoming president has warned that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the remaining hostages, who have been held in Gaza after being taken captive in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, are not released before he assumes office.

A senior Arab diplomat directly involved in the talks said that there was “very real” headway being made. “We made very good progress,” they said.

The official said Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had played a critical role in advancing talks over the weekend, while one of the U.S. officials close to the negotiations said Witkoff and White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk have been “working seamlessly” on the effort.

Witkoff, the U.S. official said, “has been very helpful in particular ironing out a couple of issues.” They did not expand on what those issues were, however.

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The diplomatic source described the current proposal as “very complex,” but noted it was “a massive deal that can end the war in Gaza at last and help reshape the middle east.”

The progress made in recent days follows repeated assurances from Washington since the Oct. 7 attacks, with the Biden administration undertaking frequent — but ultimately unsuccessful — efforts to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas, with both sides trading blame for delays in progress.

It also follows a phone call Sunday between after President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the president “stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages” and a “surge in humanitarian aid.”

“Israel very much wants to release the hostages and is working hard to reach a deal,” Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Monday in a statement following a meeting with his Danish counterpart, Lars Rasmussen, in Jerusalem.

“There is progress in the negotiations,” Sa’ar said. “I thank our American friends for their help.”

Ceasefire Talks Between Israel, Hamas Making Progress

Hamas had yet to release any statement on any progress in negotiations as of early Monday.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas led the Oct. 7 attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israel. The attacks marked a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.

More than 46,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in the enclave, according to local health officials, although the death toll is thought to be higher than that figure.

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Micheal
Micheal Chukwuebuka is a passionate writer. He is a reporter with STONIX NEWS. Besides writing, he is also a cinematographer.

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