Israel and Hamas are on the brink of a cease-fire deal, President Biden said Monday, moving closer to bridging a fundamental divide: Israel wants its hostages back and then continue the war, while Hamas doesn't want to release captives without ending the war.
Arab mediators and Israeli officials say there has been progress ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office next Monday. Under the first stage of the deal being discussed, Hamas would release up to 33 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners and a pause in fighting, Israeli and Arab officials said.
In an important concession, Hamas has accepted verbal guarantees from the U.S. and others that Israel would then continue negotiating stages of a deal to permanently end fighting, mediators said.
"We're pressing hard to close this," Biden told reporters.
The hostages and their families "deserve to be reunited." Officials on all sides said they were more optimistic about a deal now than they have been in weeks, though previous moments where agreements seemed close have ended in disappointment.
But both sides seem galvanized by the prospect of Trump's return to office. The incoming president said a week ago that "all hell will break out in the Middle East" if the hostages aren't released by the time he takes office. He hasn't explained what he means.
Esta historia es de la edición January 14, 2025 de The Wall Street Journal.
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Esta historia es de la edición January 14, 2025 de The Wall Street Journal.
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