PARIS — The United States has increased its push for a Gaza hostage deal as it led a critical closed-door Paris meeting on the matter, which was deemed as positive even though gaps remain between Israel and Hamas.
“The meeting was defined as a constructive,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. It cautioned, however, that “there are still significant gaps which the parties will continue to discuss this week during additional meetings.”
CIA Chief William Burns, Mossad Chief David Barnea, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani and head of the Egyptian Intelligence Services Abbas Kamel participated in the meeting held at secret location.
The Qatari and Egyptian teams arrived at the French capital already Saturday, with the Israelis and Americans arriving on Sunday.
Can Israel break hostage talks deadlock?
Barnea had reportedly traveled to Qatar several times since Oct. 7. On December 16, reports said that the chief of the Mossad met with Al-Thani in Oslo, but a later report by public broadcaster Kan said the meeting took place in Paris. It is not sure yet how long the parties will stay this time in the French capital for the talks.
According to KAN NEWS, the releases would be phased and could include the release of terrorists jailed for killing Israelis and the IDF withdrawal from specific areas in Gaza, along the lines of what occurred during the first hostage deal in November.
The Israeli team had aimed to clarify to their interlocutors that they "need to apply additional levers of pressure on Hamas," to accept what Israel would consider a reasonable deal.
"The purpose of this top-level meeting is to try and initiate a move; to bring up ideas, proposals, to break the deadlock," it was said.
Reports in recent days have indicated that the sides have come closer to a deal, which should see Israel suspending fighting in Gaza for two months.
Hostages will be released in two or three phases. In the first phase, fighting will be stopped for 30 days, with women, elderly men and hostages injured or sick will be released. At the same time, Israel and Hamas will finalize the details of the second phase, during which the fighting will be suspended for an additional 30 days.
It is unclear whether female soldiers will be released as part of the first phase or apart. The last to be released would be male soldiers and the bodies of deceased hostages.
That being said, the main hurdle for a deal is the demand by Hamas that the deal will signal the complete ending of fighting in Gaza, a condition Israel rejects categorically. The proposal that Hamas leaders will leave the Strip to other countries is apparently no longer part of the deal being discussed.