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Placards with portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are held up during a rally calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv on February 8.
CNN
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White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that negotiators have outlined the outline of a deal that could see the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He said he had reached an “understanding.”
An Israeli delegation, including Mossad Director David Balnea, took part in talks in Paris on Friday with CIA Director Bill Burns and negotiators from Egypt and Qatar. Qatar and Egypt act as intermediaries between Hamas and Israel, and the two sides do not have direct dialogue.
Hamas was briefed on the Paris talks on Sunday night. But as negotiators continue to iron out the actual details, any chance of a final deal is still days away at the earliest.
“Representatives from Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris and agreed on the basic outline of a hostage deal aimed at a temporary ceasefire. Details are still being negotiated. I'm not going to go into details because it's still in progress,” Sullivan told CNN's Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
He added: “Qatar and Egypt will have to hold indirect talks with Hamas because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages.” That work is ongoing. And we hope that in the coming days we can get to a point where we actually have a solid final agreement on this issue. But we'll have to wait and see. ”
When asked by Bash how excited he was about a potential contract, Sullivan declined to offer an opinion. So I'm not going to make any predictions, I'm not going to put anything like probabilities. ”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, emphasizing that Israel wants the remaining hostages in Gaza free, saying, “We are all working on it.” Ta. we want that. i want it ”
He said Hamas's “crazy” demands were preventing an agreement.
Negotiators will continue talks in Doha on Monday, according to diplomats and people familiar with the negotiations. The talks will be held between working-level officials and will focus on resolving technical issues.
The talks will also include officials from Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Israel, all of whom are involved in the Paris talks. From the US side, CIA personnel will also be included.
Despite the continuing fighting in Gaza, there are positive signs emerging from the talks. Tsashi Hanegbi, head of Israel's National Security Agency, told Israeli media on Saturday that he believed “progress is possible.”
However, Hamas leader Dr. Bassem Naim told CNN on Sunday that he was “not aware” of any progress in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recently announced blueprint for what a post-war Gaza would look like, Sullivan said he had “some concerns” based on what he had seen in the press, but that he expected clarification from the Israeli side late Sunday. He said he plans to receive it.
“From what I've seen in the press, there are some concerns,” he told CNN.
Later, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, Sullivan said: So we'll see how it goes. ”
Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that the war in Gaza will continue until Israel destroys the Hamas leadership and rescues the hostages.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that Israeli hostage Oz Daniel, 19, was the latest hostage to be confirmed dead.
Daniel was among the hostages believed to be alive, so his death brings the number of dead hostages to 30 out of 130 held on October 7.
Last November, Israel and Hamas agreed to a landmark agreement, the first of its kind, securing the release of 105 hostages held by Hamas. The agreement also included a four-day cessation of fighting, which was eventually extended.
CNN's Richard Allen Green contributed to this report. Updated with new information.