According to AFP, Mr. Netanyahu updated Mr. Biden on the negotiation situation. White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said on the same day that the sides were very close to an agreement and the Biden administration was determined to make every effort in the remaining days to achieve this goal.
Mr. Biden strives to bring the Gaza negotiations ‘to the finish line’ before the White House changes ownership
Similarly, US Vice President-elect JD Vance expects the agreement to be signed before President Biden leaves office on January 20. At the same time, Mr. Vance warned that if the hostages were not released before the White House changed hands, the US would let the Israeli army take out the last two battalions of Hamas and Washington would impose sanctions and financial penalties. heavy on those “supporting terrorism in the Middle East”.
Israel airstrikes a building at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 12
Mr. Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor of the incoming administration in the US, warned that conditions for the hostage agreement will be even worse for Hamas if the organization waits until President-elect Donald Trump takes office. .
Currently, the parties’ delegations are still negotiating in Qatar. Media reported yesterday that Israel had informed intermediaries of its plans for a military presence in the Gaza Strip during and after the ceasefire agreement phases. Specifically, Israel wants to control a 1.5 km wide security buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip instead of an area 300 m wide and not managed by Tel Aviv. In addition, all hostages are expected to be released in the first two phases of the agreement, according to the newspaper The Times of Israel. A source familiar with the matter told AP that there had been a breakthrough at the negotiating table and that negotiators from Israel and Hamas would present the draft to the leadership for approval. The parties have not commented on this information.
