Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized his negotiators to enter into detailed talks on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, an Israeli official and a source familiar with the negotiations said.
The decision signals that Israel and Hamas are entering a new phase of negotiations, which could produce a final agreement within weeks if successful.
On Thursday (4), Netanyahu’s government and the armed group appeared to try to downplay the latest developments in written statements. Meanwhile, people involved in the negotiations expressed cautious optimism.
For months, Israel and Hamas have engaged in mediated negotiations focused on trying to reach a draft agreement, intentionally leaving key details — such as the identity of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages — out of the question at first.
The breakthrough in the negotiations came earlier this week after the United States proposed new language for two key clauses (8 and 14) focused on the scope and sequence of negotiations scheduled to take place during the first phase of the agreement in order to unlock the second phase of the understanding.
Hamas largely agreed to the new language, unlocking detailed negotiations after Netanyahu’s approval.
The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, who led the country’s negotiating team, is expected to lead the negotiating delegation for the new round of detailed talks, an Israeli source said.
The talks are expected to take place in Doha, Qatar, starting as early as Friday (5), according to a senior US government official.
Negotiations are expected to last two to three weeks.
The Mossad director is due to meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani for discussions aimed at bringing the parties closer to a Gaza deal, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.
Those negotiations are expected to last two to three weeks, according to the Israeli source, to resolve issues such as the identities of the Palestinian prisoners to be released, the exact ratio of prisoners to hostages and the technical sequencing of the releases.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told CNN: “There is nothing official about an effective ceasefire agreement. The enemy media is talking about sending a delegation to Egypt, but there is nothing official or details. Negotiations have not started yet.”
“We are also waiting for a positive response from the Israeli side, which will start negotiations on the details of the agreement,” Naim added.
“We have no information about any delegation visiting Cairo,” he commented.
Netanyahu talks to Biden
Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden on Thursday (4) to discuss progress in the negotiations. The Israeli cabinet was scheduled to meet on Thursday night.
The call between the leaders focused on the details of the hostage agreement and cease-fire, the senior Biden administration official said, adding that there appears to be a “pretty significant opening” for the hostage deal to be approved by all groups involved.
When asked whether the government believes Netanyahu is playing politics and may try to sabotage the deal, the source said the agreement is structured in a way that “fully protects Israel’s interests.”
The official added that Biden will have the opportunity to discuss the deal with other world leaders next week during a NATO summit in Washington, DC.
*Samantha Waldenberg, Mostafa Salem and Becky Anderson, from CNN, contributed to this report
Source: CNN Brasil

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