National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan revealed that mediators from Qatar and Egypt intend to communicate with Hamas leaders soon to see if there is a way to move forward with the U.S. President Joe Biden's proposed ceasefire in Gaza. This was stated by Sullivan to reporters on the sidelines of the peace summit regarding Ukraine, when asked about diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement whereby Hamas would release some hostages held since October 7 in exchange for a ceasefire lasting at least six weeks.
Sullivan mentioned that he spoke briefly with one of the key participants in the dialogue, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and that they would talk again about Gaza on Sunday while in Switzerland for the Ukraine conference.
Hamas welcomed the ceasefire proposal but insists that any agreement must ensure the end of the war, a demand that Israel still rejects. Israel described Hamas's response to the new U.S. peace proposal as a complete rejection.
Sullivan noted that U.S. officials have examined Hamas's response. He added, "We believe that some possible and manageable adjustments are expected. Some of them do not align with what President Biden proposed and what the UN Security Council approved, and we need to deal with that reality."
He mentioned that U.S. officials believe there is still a way to reach an agreement, and the next step will be for the mediators from Qatar and Egypt to speak with Hamas and "explore what can realistically be worked on."
He continued, "We expect to see rounds of negotiations back and forth between the mediators and Hamas. We will see at that point where we stand. We will continue consultations with the Israelis and hope that at some point next week, we can inform you of the position we believe things have reached and what we see as a next step in trying to end this."
