Negotiators for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal discussed the details of how to implement the agreement, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Beijing on Thursday.
“Negotiators are bearing down on the details, meaning that we have advanced the discussions to a point where it’s in the nitty gritty, and that is a positive sign of progress,” Sullivan said.
He cautioned, however, that the situation was changing “hour by hour” and that “at the end of the day, nothing is done until it’s done.”
“We’re just going to keep working at this until we finally get the ceasefire and hostage deal across the line,” Sullivan said.
He spoke as Qatar hosted working-level meetings to advance a deal, following two high-level summits led by CIA Director William Burns, the first in Doha two weeks ago and the second in Cairo on Sunday.
Among the topics under discussion was the number of hostages to be freed during the first phase of the three-part deal, as well as details regarding the release of Palestinian security prisoners and terrorists.
Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors
Among the stumbling blocks was Hamas’s demand that Israel fully withdraw from two critical security corridors, Philadelphi and Netzarim.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel must remain in those corridors.
A working-level professional team of Israeli negotiators has been in Doha for the talks since Wednesday night. Representatives from the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the IDF comprise the Israeli team.
On the table is a three-phased framework for a deal first unveiled by US President Joe Biden on May 31, to which both Israel and Hamas have agreed and the United Nations Security Council has endorsed.
Earlier this month, attempting to close the gaps between the two sides, the US put forward a “bridging proposal,” which Israel said it signed onto. However, that proposal did not cover all the issues.
Netanyahu has been under fire for insisting that the IDF must remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, with some critics explaining that a deal could have already been reached had he dropped that demand.
On Wednesday, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen told a security conference in the Washington area that the fate of the deal ultimately rested with Hamas.
Reuters contributed to this report.