Vice President-elect JD Vance stated on Sunday during an interview with Fox News that he believes an agreement to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza could be finalized before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in a week.
“We’re hopeful there’s going to be a deal that’s struck towards the very end of Biden’s administration, maybe the last day or two,” Vance said.
“Regardless of when that deal is struck, it will be because people are terrified that there are going to be consequences for Hamas,” Vance said, referring to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threatening to “open the gates of hell” if the hostages aren’t released by the time he assumes office.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu rejected Trump’s threats, saying, “It would be better for Trump to think about making mediation efforts successful and ending the war in Gaza instead of making threats that will only bring more destruction and killing to our Palestinian people.”
Possibly. But should the new president permit Israel to starve the civilian population in Gaza, and cut off its electricity and fuel supply, Hamas might see things differently.
IT’S SUNDAY, WE MUST BE IN DOHA
Israel’s foreign ministry on Sunday released a statement saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had just spoken with President Joe Biden. “The Prime Minister discussed with the American President the progress in the negotiations to release our hostages and updated him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating team to Doha in order to advance the release of our hostages.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for cooperating in this sacred mission.”
Sunday’s conversation between Netanyahu and Biden coincided with the presence of David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad, and Brett McGurk, Biden’s top Middle East adviser, in Doha, Qatar. Netanyahu’s office confirmed Barnea’s attendance, signaling that senior Israeli officials who must approve any agreement are now actively engaged in the negotiations.
According to Jake Sullivan, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Biden’s national security adviser McGurk has been focused on finalizing the details of a proposal to present to both parties. Sullivan refrained from predicting whether an agreement could be achieved by Jan. 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration.
The newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported that agreements have already been reached concerning the release of hostages, the return of Gazans to combat zones from which they were evacuated, the withdrawal of IDF forces, and the entry of humanitarian aid to Hamas. Current discussions reportedly focus on establishing a timeline for the various stages of the agreement with Hamas and the implementation of these steps.
BUFFER ZONE
The pro-Qatari newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Monday morning that the Israeli delegation in Doha presented a plan for maintaining an Israeli military presence during the truce and subsequent phases.
According to the report, Israel proposed establishing a buffer zone approximately 1.5 kilometers wide along the Gaza borders, under Israeli control. Notably, before October 7, 2023, the buffer zone was only 300 meters wide, with no Israeli vehicles or equipment stationed there, although the area was within the line of fire of Israeli forces.
