CNN –
President Joe Biden said he hopes there will be a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict by “next Monday.”
“Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean by the end of the weekend,” Biden said after being asked during an appearance with comedian Seth Meyers at an ice cream parlor in New York City on Monday ceasefire could begin. “My national security adviser tells me we are close. We're close, it's not finished yet. And I hope we have a ceasefire by next Monday,” Biden added.
Earlier on Monday, CNN reported that Hamas has backed off some key demands in negotiations over a hostage-taking agreement and a halt to fighting in Gaza after Israel accused it of its position being “delusional,” bringing negotiating parties closer to an initial agreement that could come to a standstill. Two sources familiar with the discussions report that the fighting will end and that a group of Israeli hostages will be released.
“The main obstacles have been removed as Hamas insists on a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the war,” a senior Biden administration official told CNN after Friday's meeting in Paris between the US, Egyptian and Israeli intelligence chiefs Qatari Prime Minister.
“Hamas' requirements for the number of Palestinians [prisoners that] “The person who needed to be released was refused,” the official added.
A diplomatic source familiar with the discussions confirmed that Hamas had softened its position ahead of an agreement on the first phase of a deal. But even bigger hurdles are expected to emerge later as complex issues such as Hamas's release of male IDF hostages and an end to the war are discussed.
Those involved in the discussions said an agreement would likely be implemented in phases and once an initial agreement is reached, it could lead to a ceasefire lasting up to six weeks and a group of Israeli hostages, including women, children and elderly, and sick people in exchange for a smaller number of Palestinian prisoners than Hamas had originally demanded.
In the second phase, the discussions are likely to become even more complicated.
During a ceasefire, negotiations on more sensitive issues such as the release of Israeli soldiers held hostage, Palestinian prisoners serving longer sentences, the withdrawal of IDF troops and a permanent end to the war would take place alongside the so-called “day after” issues take place .
The Israeli leadership has made it clear that it intends to launch a military offensive in Rafah, while Hamas said in an earlier proposal that it wanted to discuss in a second phase “the requirements necessary for the continuation of the mutual cessation of military operations.” .
Teams from the countries that met in Paris on Friday met in Doha on Monday to discuss the finer points of the broad issues discussed on Friday, a sign of progress.
“We have made progress in these discussions over the weekend and over the past few days” to try to reach an agreement to release the hostages and secure a temporary ceasefire, State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Monday.
“We continue to believe that a deal is possible and we will continue to pursue it,” Miller said at a department briefing.
Miller added that if Hamas “truly cares about the Palestinian people, they should agree to the deal that is on the table because it will significantly alleviate the suffering of these Palestinian people.”
On Sunday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan would not elaborate on the terms that were discussed, but said Friday's meeting in Paris resulted in “an agreement among the four of them on how the broad outlines of a hostage agreement for one “What a temporary ceasefire would look like.”
“There will have to be indirect talks between Qatar and Egypt with Hamas because ultimately they have to agree to the release of the hostages,” Sullivan told CNN. “This work is ongoing. And we hope that in the coming days we can get to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue. But we’ll have to wait and see.”
Israel confirmed on Monday that it was sending a team to Doha after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday made less negative comments about the status of the talks than in previous weeks.
“They have to become a reality,” Netanyahu said of Hamas on Fox News. “And I think if that's the case, we'll be able to get a deal done, which we definitely wanted and I wanted it too.
Netanyahu is under enormous pressure from the Israeli public to release the more than 130 hostages still in Gaza, including the bodies of many who are no longer believed to be alive.
The embattled prime minister also reiterated that he plans to send the Israeli army to Rafah, which the US has warned against, without there being a firm plan that takes into account the safety of the approximately 1.5 million Palestinians concentrated there, of whom many have fled fighting further north.
With or without the hostage situation, “We will do it anyway,” Netanyahu told CBS News, because “total victory is our goal.”
“We cannot leave the last Hamas stronghold without taking care of them,” Netanyahu said.
This story has been updated with additional details.