In Turkey, Blinken experiences ‘encouraging indicators’ Gaza hostage-truce deal is feasible

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Friday that he had mentioned the significance of attaining a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group in conferences with Turkey’s president and overseas minister, and expressed some optimism concerning the prospects.

“We’ve seen within the final couple of weeks extra encouraging indicators that [a deal] is feasible,” Blinken stated in Ankara, on his twelfth journey to the Middle East since battle broke out final October, when Hamas attacked Israel.

The American diplomat’s feedback got here the morning after a report that Hamas had eased a few of its calls for and offered Israel with an inventory of hostages to be launched within the first section of an settlement. They additionally got here as US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was within the midst of one more Mideast journey to push for a deal.

Sullivan, who can also be set to journey to key mediator nations Egypt and Qatar throughout this journey, yesterday denied assertions that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was stalling to attempt to attain a deal after US President-elect Donald Trump enters workplace on January 20. Sullivan stated his purpose was to have the ability to shut a deal by the top of December.

The US president-elect has stated repeatedly that he desires the battle in Gaza to finish by the point he returns to the White House, and threatened that there will probably be “hell to pay” for anybody within the area who continues to be holding hostages when he’s inaugurated.

Blinken stated on Friday that he had spoken with each Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about “the crucial of Hamas saying sure to the settlement that’s doable to lastly assist carry this to an finish.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, at Ankara Esenboga Airport on Dec. 12, 2024. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds, Pool Photo through AP)

“We respect very a lot the position that Turkey can play in utilizing its voice with Hamas, to attempt to carry this to a conclusion,” Blinken stated.

Turkey is an outspoken supporter of Hamas and has often praised the Iran-backed terror group’s October 7, 2023 assault which began the continuing battle, when hundreds of terrorists invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 individuals and taking 251 hostages.

The nation hosts a number of Hamas officers, and was additionally anticipated to soak up extra of them when Qatar expelled the fear group’s management final month, reportedly below strain from the US.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Hamas had given in to an Israeli demand that the IDF stay in Gaza quickly, after demanding for lengthy months that it might not conform to a deal until it included a everlasting finish to the battle and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave. Hamas has additionally offered mediators with an inventory of hostages that it might launch within the first section of a brand new deal, the Journal reported.

The report added that Israeli negotiators had been pushing for extra hostages to be launched within the preliminary section of the ceasefire. At the identical time, it stated they’d agreed to a gradual withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. Hamas has additionally reportedly agreed that it might not have any involvement in working the Palestinian facet of the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

A supply acquainted advised The Times of Israel that Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha on Wednesday to debate a possible hostage launch and Gaza ceasefire deal, confirming an Axios report.

Israelis protest for the discharge of the hostages held by Hamas and different terror teams in Gaza outdoors the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, December 12, 2024. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

According to the WSJ, the proposal being negotiated would see as much as 30 hostages launched in a 60-day ceasefire in trade for which Israel would launch Palestinian safety prisoners from its prisons and up the quantity of humanitarian help coming into the Gaza Strip.

Numerous makes an attempt to succeed in a brand new hostage deal have repeatedly failed during the last yr or in order Israel and Hamas have accused one another of sabotaging efforts and have refused to budge on key points.

However, negotiators have hoped to make use of the momentum of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group final month, in addition to the latest fall of the Iran-backed regime in Syria final weekend, and Trump’s election win within the US, to succeed in an settlement.

It is believed that 96 of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, stay in Gaza, together with the our bodies of at the very least 34 confirmed lifeless by the IDF.

Hamas launched 105 civilians throughout a weeklong truce in late November, and 4 hostages had been launched earlier than that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the our bodies of 38 hostages have additionally been recovered, together with three mistakenly killed by the navy as they tried to flee their captors.

Hamas can also be holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, in addition to the our bodies of two IDF troopers who had been killed in 2014.