The possibility of another hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas does not appear to be imminent, even as questions emerge about the post-war plans for Gaza.
Israel’s war in Gaza, which was prompted by Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre that left roughly 1,200 people dead, has gone on for more than three months and has left much of the Strip devastated, tens of thousands of people dead, and an overwhelming majority of Palestinians displaced. There are still more than a hundred people who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attacks that are still being held hostage and have been for more than 100 days.
“The discussions we’re having are sober and serious about potentially getting another hostage deal in place,” United States National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Friday. “I’m not suggesting, and you shouldn’t take away from this, that we’ll have something to announce imminently or that we’re over the finish line. I don’t mean to suggest that at all. There’s a lot of hard work still ahead.“
National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the families of the hostages days ago to reiterate that the administration is working to secure the release of their loved ones.
An adviser to Biden, Brett McGurk, is expected to travel to Egypt and Qatar for talks about securing the release of the hostages, according to Axios. The three governments were vital in facilitating the first hostage release and temporary ceasefire in late November, which lasted a week and allowed for roughly 100 hostages to be freed. No hostages have been released since the temporary ceasefire ended and the fighting restarted.
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke late last week for the first time in about three weeks.
“Right at the top of the list for the President to talk to Prime Minister Netanyahu about efforts to get another hostage deal going,” Kirby added.
The two leaders have publicly differed over the post-war plans for Gaza, which deepened with comments from the Israeli leader late last week. Biden has long maintained support for a two-state solution, and U.S. officials have said they believe lasting peace for Israel can only come along with Palestinian statehood, while Netanyahu publicly disagreed.
Israel “must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan [River],” Netanyahu said on Thursday, referencing what’s currently Israel and Gaza, which are west of the Jordan River and east of the Mediterranean Sea. “This clashes with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?”
His comments have been condemned or criticized by the U.S., United Kingdom, and United Nations.
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Previously, Netanyahu has disagreed with the Biden administration’s aims for a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, to take over governing Gaza. Despite the continued disagreements between the two leaders, Biden’s support for Israel has remained steadfast.
Netanyahu has often repeated sentiments from far-right members of his party, who support the displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza, which is a stance the Biden administration has fiercely disputed.
