The American news site Axios has revealed a final American offer to Israel and Hamas regarding a ceasefire and the release of detainees, hoping to finalize the matter within two weeks. Axios reported, citing two unnamed sources, that the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, on Sunday, informed the families of American detainees in Gaza that President Joe Biden is considering presenting a final offer to Israel and Hamas to cease fire and release detainees in Gaza later this week, hoping to reach a deal within two weeks.
Biden will meet with his national security team this Monday morning to determine the strategy for the final push to reach an agreement, a day after the Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies of six Israeli detainees in the sector, including American Hersh Goldberg Polin. Sullivan and Biden’s Middle East envoy Brett McGurk held an online meeting with the families of the seven American detainees still held by Hamas.
Final Talks
A senior U.S. administration official told The Washington Post on Sunday that the United States is holding discussions with mediators about the details of a “final deal” to cease fire in Gaza and release detainees, which it plans to present to Israel and Hamas in the coming weeks. This deal, if not accepted by both parties, will mark “the end of the negotiations led by Washington.” U.S. officials added that Biden’s efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza have become more urgent after the Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies of the Israeli detainees.
Two sources directly familiar with the meeting said that Sullivan and McGurk informed the families that they do not know whether a deal can be reached, but there is a chance, expressing their hope that the deal could be completed within two weeks from now. Sullivan and McGurk told the families that the United States might present, within two days, an updated version of its offer to Israel and Hamas, giving the parties another week to respond with approval or rejection. The sources added that significant progress was made in negotiations in Cairo and Doha last week regarding lists of detainees and Palestinian prisoners who are supposed to be released in the first phase of the agreement.
