Meanwhile?
Israel still pounds Gaza….
Hamas is still shooting at Israeli troops…..
President Biden badly wants an end to the conflict on his watch….
Despite optimistic public statements, a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal is not imminent, three Israeli officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The U.S., Israel and the Egyptian and Qatari mediators are trying to reach a deal before President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. While the Israeli officials say progress has been made over the past two weeks, big gaps remain.
Driving the news: CIA Director Bill Burns will visit Doha on Wednesday and meet the Qatari prime minister to discuss the status of the negotiations, according to a source familiar with the trip. The CIA declined to comment.
- President Biden’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk is already in Doha and is taking part in talks with the Qataris, Egyptians and Israelis, a U.S. official said.
What they’re saying: “The gaps are still significant. There are gaps that the negotiations teams can bridge, and that is what they are trying to do now in Qatar. In any case, there is still a long way to go,” one Israeli official familiar with the state of the talks said.
- A second senior Israeli official familiar with the details of the negotiations said that the optimistic statements from made by government ministers such as Defense Minister Israel Katz in recent days were exaggerated.
- “It doesn’t help the negotiations. It misleads the public and creates false illusions,” the Israeli official said.
- “A deal is not around the corner,” a third Israeli official added.
The other side: Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that the talks in Doha are “serious and positive” and stressed that “reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation stops imposing new conditions.”….
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