Topline
The White House believes Israel and Hamas “should be able to close the remaining gaps” in the process of negotiating a cease-fire, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday—just one day after Hamas accepted a cease-fire proposal Israel said was “far from” what it was seeking.
White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby reportedly said they're hoping for news of a ... [+]
Key Facts
Kirby told reporters on Tuesday “everybody is coming to the table” to help with negotiations, and that “a close assessment of the two sides’ positions suggests that they should be able to close the remaining gaps,” according to multiple outlets.
Kirby’s comments come one day after Hamas announced it accepted the terms of a cease-fire proposal, but Israel said the proposal was “far from meeting Israel's core demands.”
Kirby said the White House is hoping for news “very, very soon,” Agence France Presse reported, but it won’t predict when negotiations will succeed.
The deal Hamas agreed to was negotiated by Qatar and Egypt and reportedly called for the release of hostages in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza for six weeks across three phases.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Key Background
Israel and Hamas have been in talks to negotiate a cease-fire agreement for months, though those discussions have repeatedly stalled. The negotiations come as Israel mulls a military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where a large number of displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The Biden administration has pushed Israel not to invade Rafah without a clear evacuation plan. One Israeli official told Reuters the version accepted by Hamas on Monday was a “watered down” version of a deal negotiated by Egypt that was “a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” though another official told the outlet there were minimal changes to the proposal given from Israel in late April. In the past, Hamas said it will not agree to a cease-fire deal that doesn’t call for a complete end to the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to say Israel will not stop fighting until “Hamas's remaining military capabilities” are destroyed and hostages are returned.
What To Watch For
If negotiators are able to come to a deal. CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatar’s negotiators are in Egypt on Tuesday to continue discussing details of a proposal.
