ReutersJoe Biden said he was “optimistic” that a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached.
“We are closer than ever before,” the US president said after the latest round of talks, adding that he would send his secretary of state to Israel to continue “working very hard to get this deal done.”
However, a senior Hamas official told the BBC there had been no progress and the mediators were “selling illusions”.
Israel said it “appreciated the efforts of the United States and mediators to persuade Hamas not to renege on the hostage release deal”.
The Israeli military launched an operation in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
More than 40,000 people have died in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
A ceasefire agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of about 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 111 hostages are still being held, including 39 who are believed to have died.
In a recent joint statement, the United States, Qatar and Egypt said they had proposed a ceasefire and hostage release deal to “bridge the gap” between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has said any ceasefire would require the release of the remaining hostages. Some have been released, while others are believed to have died in Gaza.
Relatives of hostages still in Gaza call the current talks the “last chance” to get some out alive.
After 10 months of war and thousands of casualties, the pressure for a breakthrough was enormous.
A broader regional conflict, in the event of a complete collapse of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, is a distinct possibility and something all concerned fear.
Mediators say the last two days of ceasefire The discussions were “serious, constructive and took place in a positive atmosphere”.
Technical teams are expected to continue working in the coming days to hammer out details on how to implement the proposed provisions before senior government officials meet again in Cairo, hoping to reach agreement on the terms outlined in Doha.
While the mediators’ announcement is clearly a positive development, there is still a long way to go before a ceasefire is achieved.
This is not the first time Mr Biden has said he thinks a deal is close – and not everyone shares his cautious optimism.
Neither Hamas nor the Israeli government reacted so optimistically.
Israel said its position and core principles remained unchanged and were “widely known”. It accused Hamas of refusing to agree to the hostage release deal.
Above all, Israelis want to see the remaining hostages released, but many suspect that is not the main goal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has insisted that “complete victory” over Hamas is his government’s priority.
Meanwhile, Hamas’ new leader, Yaya Sinwar, continues to show few signs of compromise.
Asked about President Biden’s statement, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that “what we got from the mediators was very disappointing. There was no progress at all”.
ReutersIt is understood Hamas has dropped its demand for a permanent ceasefire in favour of Mr Biden’s proposal for a six-week pause to allow for negotiations to end the war.
Mr Biden’s ceasefire proposal also includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all populated areas in Gaza, the release of hostages in batches in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the return of the remains of dead hostages.
The “bridging proposal” put forward by US, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators will be the subject of talks by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the region and will form the basis for further talks in Cairo, where all parties, including Hamas, are expected to attend.
The proposal is said to “close the remaining gaps” between the two sides’ positions, which could allow for “rapid implementation of the agreement”.
It sounds simple, but there are still huge obstacles to overcome and there is still a complete lack of trust between senior figures in Israel and Hamas.
They are being pulled to the negotiating table – perhaps against their will – by others out of fear of what might happen in the event of failure.
Hamas and its allies believe the US administration is trying to buy more time.
If Iran attacks Israel, it will show that Hamas is sabotaging the negotiations.
Hamas does not hide its desire for Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel and its desire for this escalation to turn into a regional war.
They believe a major blow to Israel will weaken Mr Netanyahu and force him to accept a deal.
For his part, Mr. Biden warned that “no one in the region should take action to sabotage this process.”
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations in Gaza continued, with an airstrike early Saturday killing 15 people in the al-Zawaida neighborhood in central Gaza, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense, a rescue agency.
Spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP news agency that nine children and three women were among the dead.
Israel has not commented directly. The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday morning that they had “eliminated a number of terrorists” in central Gaza, including one who had opened fire on Israeli forces operating in the area.
The Israeli army has issued new evacuation orders for several residential areas north of Khan Younis and Deir Balah – further shrinking the humanitarian area where thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought shelter from the fighting.
Israel said the compounds had become dangerous for civilians “due to serious terrorist acts” and rocket and mortar fire into Israel.
“Once again, fear is spreading as families have nowhere else to go,” said the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees (Unrwa).
The driving factor behind the need for a ceasefire is the circulation of the polio virus – which can be spread through feces – currently circulating inside the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.
“Let us be clear: the best vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
