Biden and Netanyahu discuss hostage deal amid cautious optimism about ceasefire in Gaza
Hello, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza and developments in the Middle East more widely.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US president, Joe Biden, spoke yesterday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Israel’s war on Gaza. Momentum seems to be building but uncertainty remains over key aspects of the potential agreement.
The White House said Biden discussed the “fundamentally changed regional circumstances” following Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the rapid rebel offensive that toppled former president Bashar al-Assad in Syria last month, and the dilution of Iran’s power in the region after the Israeli military killed much of its senior leadership over the autumn.
Netanyahu was reported to have updated Biden on instructions he had given to senior negotiators in Doha “in order to advance the release of the hostages”. Western intelligence services estimate that at least one-third of the remaining 95 or so Israeli captives in Gaza have been killed. About 250 people were taken hostage in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed.
Sunday’s call between Biden and Netanyahu came as the head of Israel’s the Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Biden’s most senior Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in Doha. Barnea’s presence meant high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in talks.
McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN. “We are very, very close,” he said. “Yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.”
An official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Monday that Qatar has handed Israel and Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement designed to end the war. We have not been able to independently verify this claim.
Ceasefire talks have stalled repeatedly even when officials have expressed optimism about so-called breakthroughs. Netanyahu has been accused of delaying a deal for political purposes, possibly awaiting Donald Trump’s assumption of office on 20 January. Trump has said there will be “hell to pay” if Hamas does not release its hostages before he takes office, suggesting he is seeking a deal before the inauguration day.
As my colleagues Lorenzo Tondo and Bethan McKernan note in this story, Hamas insists that any negotiations to secure the release of hostages must form part of a comprehensive pact to end the hostilities in Gaza, while Netanyahu is seeking a more segmented agreement, aiming for a deal that would see the liberation of some, though not all, hostages, while simultaneously preserving Israel’s prerogative to recommence hostilities against Hamas upon the deal’s expiration.
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has criticised the deal being worked out in Gaza, saying it is a “catastrophe” for Israel’s security and was a “surrender” to Hamas.
Netanyahu has become more reliant on the support of Smotrich and other far-right elements of his coalition government – such as national security minister Itamar Ben–Gvir – since the former defence minister Benny Gantz quit Israel’s emergency war cabinet in a row over strategy in the war and how to bring home Israeli hostages held by Hamas. We will bring you the latest on the ceasefire negotiations throughout the day.
Key events
Final draft of Gaza hostage deal presented to sides after ‘breakthrough’, official says
We mentioned in the opening summary that an official close to the ceasefire negotiations Qatar gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal on Monday. This reportedly came after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by US president-elect Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. Officials from the outgoing Biden administration are also thought to have participated. “The next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching the deal,” the official said. A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters that information from Doha, the Qatari capital, was “very promising”, adding: “Gaps were being narrowed and there is a big push toward an agreement if all goes well to the end.”
Dozens of countries will send delegates to Norway on Wednesday as part of a global alliance aiming to find a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Norway’s foreign ministry has said.
In a statement, Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said:
While we must continue to work for an end to the war (in Gaza), we must also work for a lasting solution to the conflict that guarantees self-determination, security and justice for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
There is broad support for a two-state solution, but the international community must do more to make it a reality.
Representatives of more than 80 countries and organisations are expected to take part in the meeting, though no official Israeli delegation has been announced.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa, the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa Philippe Lazzarini, and UN envoy to the Middle East Tor Wennesland are among those due to attend.
Israel was angered when several countries – including Norway – decided to recognise the Palestinian state. Spain and Ireland also recognised the state of Palestine last year, while Slovenia has established diplomatic relations.
Palestine is recognised by various international organisations including the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic cooperation. Most countries around the world formally recognise a Palestinian state.
At its simplest, the two-state solution is the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state that lives side-by-side with Israel. There would be two states on the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. You can read more about the two state solution in this useful explainer. Even though it is often touted by world leaders as the best policy going forward, it looks increasingly unrealistic in the eyes of many Israelis and Palestinians.
Reports of deadly Israeli attack on school sheltering displaced Palestinian people in Gaza City
There are reports of a deadly Israeli attack on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City. Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, said at least five people were killed in the bombing of the school, which was housing Palestinians displaced from their homes by Israel’s expanding war on the territory. The Israeli military have killed many people sheltering in schools over the course of the war, claiming they are targeting militants using them as bases – but this is heavily denied by residents and officials on the ground.
Separately, there are reports of four Palestinian people being killed after a car was struck by Israeli forces in the southern city of Rafah.
Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza reaches 46,584, says health ministry
At least 46,584 Palestinian people have been killed and 109,731 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Monday.
At least 19 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
Gaza’s health ministry has said in the past that thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the territory.
Biden and Netanyahu discuss hostage deal amid cautious optimism about ceasefire in Gaza
Hello, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza and developments in the Middle East more widely.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US president, Joe Biden, spoke yesterday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Israel’s war on Gaza. Momentum seems to be building but uncertainty remains over key aspects of the potential agreement.
The White House said Biden discussed the “fundamentally changed regional circumstances” following Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the rapid rebel offensive that toppled former president Bashar al-Assad in Syria last month, and the dilution of Iran’s power in the region after the Israeli military killed much of its senior leadership over the autumn.
Netanyahu was reported to have updated Biden on instructions he had given to senior negotiators in Doha “in order to advance the release of the hostages”. Western intelligence services estimate that at least one-third of the remaining 95 or so Israeli captives in Gaza have been killed. About 250 people were taken hostage in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed.
Sunday’s call between Biden and Netanyahu came as the head of Israel’s the Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Biden’s most senior Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in Doha. Barnea’s presence meant high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in talks.
McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN. “We are very, very close,” he said. “Yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.”
An official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Monday that Qatar has handed Israel and Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement designed to end the war. We have not been able to independently verify this claim.
Ceasefire talks have stalled repeatedly even when officials have expressed optimism about so-called breakthroughs. Netanyahu has been accused of delaying a deal for political purposes, possibly awaiting Donald Trump’s assumption of office on 20 January. Trump has said there will be “hell to pay” if Hamas does not release its hostages before he takes office, suggesting he is seeking a deal before the inauguration day.
As my colleagues Lorenzo Tondo and Bethan McKernan note in this story, Hamas insists that any negotiations to secure the release of hostages must form part of a comprehensive pact to end the hostilities in Gaza, while Netanyahu is seeking a more segmented agreement, aiming for a deal that would see the liberation of some, though not all, hostages, while simultaneously preserving Israel’s prerogative to recommence hostilities against Hamas upon the deal’s expiration.
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has criticised the deal being worked out in Gaza, saying it is a “catastrophe” for Israel’s security and was a “surrender” to Hamas.
Netanyahu has become more reliant on the support of Smotrich and other far-right elements of his coalition government – such as national security minister Itamar Ben–Gvir – since the former defence minister Benny Gantz quit Israel’s emergency war cabinet in a row over strategy in the war and how to bring home Israeli hostages held by Hamas. We will bring you the latest on the ceasefire negotiations throughout the day.
