Big gaps remain between Israel and Hamas in Gaza deal talks
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Palestinian children amid rubble in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Images
Despite optimistic public statements, a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal is not imminent, three Israeli officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The U.S., Israel and the Egyptian and Qatari mediators are trying to reach a deal before President-elect Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. While the Israeli officials say progress has been made over the past two weeks, big gaps remain.
Driving the news: CIA Director Bill Burns will visit Doha on Wednesday and meet the Qatari prime minister to discuss the status of the negotiations, according to a source familiar with the trip. The CIA declined to comment.
- President Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk is already in Doha and is taking part in talks with the Qataris, Egyptians and Israelis, a U.S. official said.
What they're saying: "The gaps are still significant. There are gaps that the negotiations teams can bridge, and that is what they are trying to do now in Qatar. In any case, there is still a long way to go," one Israeli official familiar with the state of the talks said.
- A second senior Israeli official familiar with the details of the negotiations said that the optimistic statements from made by government ministers such as Defense Minister Israel Katz in recent days were exaggerated.
- "It doesn't help the negotiations. It misleads the public and creates false illusions," the Israeli official said.
- "A deal is not around the corner," a third Israeli official added.
The other side: Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that the talks in Doha are "serious and positive" and stressed that "reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation stops imposing new conditions."
Catch up quick: Three weeks ago, Israel gave Hamas an updated proposal for a deal to begin a ceasefire in Gaza, release some Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, and free some of the roughly 100 hostages held in Gaza — around half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israeli intelligence.
- Since then Egyptian and Qatari officials have been mediating indirect negotiations between the parties.
- An Israeli delegation that includes representatives from the Mossad, Shin Bet and IDF, arrived in Doha on Monday, Israeli officials said.
- Hamas representatives are also in Doha.
Behind the scenes: Two Israeli officials said the position of Hamas leaders in Gaza — led by Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — could make it hard to close a deal in Doha.
- Hamas' leaders in Gaza continue to demand an end to the war, rather than just a ceasefire, for any deal to release the hostages, the Israeli officials say.
- An Israeli official noted that Hamas had not yet given its official response to the Israeli proposal.
What to watch: One of the Israeli officials said he believes that some of the bigger gaps that remain between the parties cannot be bridged by the negotiation teams in Doha, but will require political decisions by Israeli and Hamas leaders.
- "We may have to go through another crisis in the talks so that the necessary decisions are made on both sides," the Israeli official said.
