Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is “ready to do a deal” to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.
“I got the sense from the prime minister he is ready to do a deal,” Sullivan told reporters during a Tel Aviv press conference, according to multiple reports. “The prime minister indicated he wants to get it done.”
Biden’s national security adviser, who met with the Israeli prime minister on Thursday, was pressed on whether Netanyahu was stalling cease-fire negotiations with Hamas in a move to wait for the incoming Trump administration, to which Sullivan said, “No, I do not get that sense.”
“We want to close this deal this month. I wouldn’t be here today if I thought this is waiting until after Jan. 20,” he said.
Sullivan’s comments came just two days after he met with the family members of American hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for more than 430 days following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
Hope that a hostage deal could finally be on the horizon after more than a year since the last hostage release was agreed to in November 2023, resurfaced late last month after Jerusalem and Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire under a 13-point deal.
A report this week by the Wall Street Journal further suggested that Hamas has conceded on two key Israeli demands and reportedly told mediators the terrorist network would allow Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers to remain in Gaza during a pause in the fighting.
The group also apparently agreed to drop its demands for a permanent end to Israel’s campaign and handed over a list of hostages, including Americans, who would be exchanged under a “cease-fire pact.”
It remains unclear how many hostages Hamas would hand over or which of the seven Americans still in Gaza – three of whom are still believed to be alive – were on this list.
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Families of the hostages, both in the U.S. and in Israel, have been calling on Netanyahu for months to seek a truce and secure the release of the hostages. This plea became increasingly urgent after a cease-fire deal collapsed in late summer, and ultimately failed to secure the release of American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who, along with two other Israelis shortlisted for release, were killed alongside three other hostages by Hamas in August.
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday issued a sweeping demand that Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire agreement and that all hostages be freed from captivity.
The resolution, which was adopted with 158 votes in favor of the 193-member body, called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire, to be respected by all parties, and further reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
Though U.N. General Assembly resolutions are not binding, they are significant as they portray the international position regarding an issue.
Nine countries voted against the resolution, including the U.S. and Israel, while 13 other nations abstained.
In an address to the assembly following the vote, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood said, “The draft resolution on a cease-fire in Gaza risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas that there’s no need to negotiate or release the hostages.”
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“Even as the Gaza resolution before us today does nothing to advance a realistic diplomatic solution, the United States will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution that brings peace, security, and freedom to Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” he added, saying now is the time to put more pressure on Hamas.
Sullivan on Thursday reportedly said Hamas’ “posture at the negotiation table” had shifted since the cease-fire in Lebanon was agreed to last month, effectively showing the terrorist network it could no longer rely on assistance from Hezbollah.
The White House national security adviser is expected to travel from Israel this week to Qatar and then to Egypt, where he will meet with top officials to secure a cease-fire and the release of hostages.
