According to The Wall Street Journal, citing US administration officials, an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza is still not in sight, and most likely will not come before the elections.
One of the officials expressed doubt that such a deal would ever be reached, but noted that Washington would continue to try to reach an agreement, seeing it as the only possible way to end the war in Gaza and prevent further escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The US cites several reasons why the sides cannot reach an agreement. These include Hamas’ demands for the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal, rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah following incidents of pager and walkie-talkie bombings, and Hamas’s lack of progress in negotiations.
Officials stressed that the chances of reaching an agreement at this stage are extremely low and everyone is waiting for the outcome of the upcoming elections, which could affect future developments.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the families of seven American hostages who remain in Gaza. He assured them that freeing the hostages was a priority for the Biden administration.
However, relatives expressed disappointment at the lack of significant progress in this direction, as they said in a statement after the meeting.
Earlier, Kursor reported that Israel proposed a new deal with Hamas.
Israel proposed a deal in which all hostages would be released immediately, fighting in Gaza would cease and safe passage to Sinwar would be granted.
