Report: Washington Will Support Extending the Ceasefire in Gaza If Negotiations Continue Seriously

SadaNews - The United States has informed both Israel and Hamas in recent days that it will support extending the ceasefire beyond the sixty-day period specified in the proposed plan, provided a final agreement to end the war is not reached, as long as negotiations continue seriously.

This information was conveyed by the political correspondents of the Israeli sites "Walla" and "Axios" on Wednesday evening, based on an Israeli official and a Palestinian source, while "Channel 11" noted that the phrasing of the section concerning a permanent ceasefire "has become clearer and more assertive than the previous version".

An Israeli senior official stated that "the Americans want to allow negotiations to continue even if we do not reach an agreement within 60 days," adding: "If we are close to an agreement, we will have no problem with that, but if we are far from it, we will not allow Hamas to buy time," as he put it.

In the same context, a Palestinian source said that "the United States sent a message to Hamas indicating that if there is a need for additional time after 60 days of negotiations, it would be acceptable to them".

Two other Israeli officials claimed that "the current movement in negotiations has come as a result of American and Qatari pressure".

An Israeli official indicated that estimates in Tel Aviv suggest that Hamas will respond positively to the proposed plan, and progress could be made towards the deal in the coming days.

For its part, the Palestinian source stated that Hamas has sent signals to Qatari and Egyptian mediators indicating a "high likelihood of providing a positive response to the updated proposal".

The Palestinian source clarified that one of the conditions Hamas proposed during the talks involves obtaining a guarantee for the continuation of the ceasefire even after the sixty-day period, as long as negotiations regarding a permanent ceasefire continue.

Hamas leaders are scheduled to hold a series of meetings with Egyptian intelligence officials in the coming hours, along with consultations with Turkish officials, while internal consultations for the movement's leaders in Doha will take place tomorrow, Thursday, according to the report.

The issue of extending the ceasefire was previously raised within the framework of the agreement, but Hamas deemed the text "too vague" and lacking clear guarantees. As of Wednesday evening, it remained unclear whether the updated version of the agreement would include a different phrasing for this section or if guarantees would be communicated verbally to the movement through mediators.

It is noteworthy that a similar agreement came into effect last January; however, Israel later retracted from completing negotiations for the second phase and resumed its aggression against the Gaza Strip on March 18, after obstructing efforts aimed at advancing serious negotiations to complete the agreement.

Israel hopes to begin indirect talks next week and is awaiting Hamas's response

The Israeli public broadcasting authority ("Channel 11") reported on Wednesday evening that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Israel Katz expressed preliminary approval of a prisoner exchange deal during recent closed discussions.

According to the report, Netanyahu and Katz believe that a potential deal could pave the way for a broader political agreement aimed at undermining "Hamas's control" over the Gaza Strip, while Israel has not yet officially announced a clear position on the terms of the proposed offer.

"Channel 11" mentioned that Israel is interested in starting indirect talks with Hamas beginning next week, likely in the Qatari capital Doha, if a positive response is received from the movement in the coming days.

The channel quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that there are "positive indicators" allowing for progress towards initiating the talks, explaining that Washington is exerting pressure on Qatar to push Hamas to provide its consent to engage in negotiations.

According to a source familiar with the proposal details, the amended version of clause 11 of the agreement, concerning a permanent ceasefire between the two sides, has become clearer and more assertive than the previous version, stating that "the intermediary countries guarantee the continuation of negotiations even after the sixty-day period concludes, if no agreement is reached, and under the same terms agreed upon".

For his part, a foreign source familiar with the discussions told "Channel 11" that "the momentum is positive," but added: "As long as Hamas has not provided its final response, it is impossible to know how things will evolve."