US President Joe Biden said on Friday “we’re closer than we have ever been before” to securing a hostage release deal.
His comments came as the second day of negotiations in Doha, Qatar, concluded.
"We are closer than we have ever been...I don’t want to jinx anything, but we may have something. We’re not there yet, but much, much closer than it was three days ago,” Biden said in the White House.
The US, Egypt and Qatar published a statement earlier on Friday in which they expressed optimism that an agreement will be reached before the end of next week to release hostages, save lives, bring relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalate regional tensions.
“Over the last 48 hours, senior officials from our three governments have engaged in Doha in intensive talks as mediators aiming to finalize the agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages and detainees. The talks were earnest and constructive and were held in a positive atmosphere,” the statement said.
“Earlier today, the US, supported by Egypt and Qatar, presented to both parties a bridging proposal that is consistent with the principles laid out by President Biden in May 31, 2024 and Security Council Resolution No. 2735. This proposal builds on areas where agreement had been reached over the past week, order to bridge any gaps that remained and enable a swift implementation of the deal.”
“Over the next few days working teams will continue to focus on the technical details of implementation of the agreement, which include arrangements for extensive humanitarian provisions and specifics regarding hostages and detainees,” the three countries said.
On Thursday, after the first day of the latest round of talks, US officials told Axios that some progress had been made.
Two US officials said the first day of talks was "very good" and that some progress was made. Another US official said the mediators "concluded a constructive day of discussions in Doha".
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)