Donald Trump , and , Joe Biden , both said they are positive a peace between , Israel , and , Hamas , had been agreed within times, pausing the disastrous war in , Gaza , that’s raged for more than 15 months.
” We are pretty close to getting it done”, Trump, who succeeds Biden as , U. S.  , leader on , Jan. 20, said Monday in an interview with Newsmax. ” I understand there’s been a hand and they’re getting it finished, maybe by the close of the week”.
Days earlier, Biden said the opposing sides were “on the verge of a proposal”.
Israeli officials say Prime Minister , Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s , diplomats presented a comprehensive design to , Hamas , during direct debate in the Qatari capital of , Doha.
Hamas, on Tuesday, said talks are in the final stages and it hopes this round of negotiations will end with a” clear and comprehensive” agreement.
Qatar, which along with the , U. S.  , is the main negotiator, says a contract’s closer than previously. A representative for the Qatari foreign ministry told investigators that the parties are still at odds with some application information.
The second step of a peace, to next 42 days, had lead to the discharge of 33 victims from , Gaza, some of whom are thought to be dead, according to Israeli authorities. To protect Jewish communities close to the Palestinian territory, Israeli prisoners would be freed from Israeli prisons, according to the officials. A buffer zone was set up inside the Gaza Strip.
While the term of a second-phase are still to be negotiated, the Israel Defense Forces may never completely remove from , Gaza , until all the almost 98 captives are freed.
All factors are also urging prudence and saying there’s no promise of a peace. Groups remain between , Hamas, designated a criminal organization by the , U. S.  , and many other places, and , Israel.
The biggest problem has long been over whether a ceasefire would number to a permanent end to hostilities, everything favored by , Hamas, the , U. S.  , and local Muslim state.
Israel , says its war aim — the total damage of , Hamas , as a military and political entity— is eternal and no ceasefire may change that.
The , White House , has sought to bridge the gap by working on a phased ceasefire, with the second part involving talks about a permanent truce. The , U. S.  , wants aid flows to , Gaza , to increase massively as soon as a pause in the war begins.
” It’s there for the taking so the question is now can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen” , , U. S.  , National Security Advisor , Jake Sullivan , said Monday in an interview with , Bloomberg Television. Still, “we’ve been here before, we’ve been close before and haven’t gotten across the finish line”.
The war has sparked a wider crisis in the , Middle East, spreading to , Lebanon , and leading to missile strikes between , Israel , and , Iran, the main sponsor of , Hamas. It’s also caused huge divisions globally, and Biden’s position in the run-up to last year ‘s , U. S.  , election was undermined by many , Democrats , criticizing him for not putting more pressure on , Israel , to end the fighting.
The , U. S.  , hopes an end to the war will calm the region and help  , Israel , normalize ties with Arab states such as , Saudi Arabia.
The shekel increased 1.8 % against the dollar on Monday, its best performance in about seven weeks, increasing Israeli financial assets on optimism about a deal. The war has weakened Israel’s economy and led to a surge in defense spending. The government thus issued more bonds than it did last year.
Hamas , triggered the conflict when it raided southern , Israel , from , Gaza, killing 1, 200 and taking 250 hostages.  , Israel , unleashed an assault that has killed at least 46, 000 people in the Palestinian territory, according to the , Hamas-run health ministry, and reduced much of it to rubble.
Just over 400 of the Israeli military’s soldiers have been killed in combat in , Gaza, according to the Israeli military. More than half of Hamas’s roughly 35, 000 fighters have died, according to Israeli estimates.
Pressure Building
Biden’s main , Middle East , envoy,  , Brett McGurk, has been in the region for more than a week negotiating the details of a ceasefire agreement.
Both sides want a deal before the presidential handover next week, and Trump and Biden’s teams have worked closely on the issue.
” The pressure building here toward the end of President Biden’s term has been considerable”, Sullivan said.
The only ceasefire that has been in place so far was a week long and ended in December 2023 when the parties started to blame one another for breaking its terms.
Over the summer, negotiations over a new agreement advanced before stalling.
Two of Israel’s most right-wing cabinet members, Finance Minister , Bezalel Smotrich , and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have hinted they’ll try to block a ceasefire, citing the need for military action against , Hamas , to continue. However, it’s likely that Netanyahu will receive enough cabinet approval to pass a deal.
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