WASHINGTON: The United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday said that the White House is working on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza but is “not there yet”.
“We are working actively to try to make it happen. We are engaged deeply with the key players in the region, and there is activity even today. There will be further conversations and consultations, and our hope is that we can generate a ceasefire and hostage deal, but we’re not there yet,” Sullivan told US media, according to a transcript released by broadcaster NBC.
“There will be further conversations and consultations, and our hope is that we can generate a ceasefire and hostage deal, but we’re not there yet,” he added.
Sullivan’s comments came a day after Israel hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, days into a fragile ceasefire.
Addressing that conflict, Sullivan lauded the ceasefire deal and said the US was working with Lebanon’s military to ensure it was implemented “effectively.”
“We need to protect it and ensure that it is fully implemented,” he told NBC.
In an apparent reference to the Israeli strikes, Sullivan said both parties “have the right, consistent with international law, to take action in self-defence if they’re facing imminent threats.”
Speaking on Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said there were “indications” progress could be made on a deal securing the release of hostages by Hamas in Gaza.
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“There are signs we may see a greater degree of flexibility from Hamas as a result of circumstances that have developed, including the agreement with Lebanon,” he said.
“There is a desire to move forward on this. I hope it can progress.” Saar asserted, however, that Hamas “cannot be allowed” to continue to rule Gaza.
Hamas Delegation in Cairo for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Meanwhile, Hamas leaders held talks in Cairo with Egyptian security officials to discuss a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza, an official of the group said.
A Hamas delegation, headed by its political bureau member Khalil al-Haya, arrived in Cairo on Saturday afternoon to explore new avenues for a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange, the Daily News Egypt reported.
The visit was the first since the United States announced on Wednesday it would revive efforts in collaboration with Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza.
(Photo by AFP)
A Hamas leader, on condition of anonymity, confirmed the visit to the Daily News Egypt, stating it followed an Egyptian invitation to discuss proposals aimed at achieving both objectives.
The delegation’s visit includes meetings with key Egyptian officials, including Major General Hassan Rashad, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, and officials involved in mediation efforts, the news media outlet reported.
The Hamas delegation’s visit aims to formulate a comprehensive ceasefire proposal, particularly in light of the recent two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Daily News Egypt reported.
Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 44,429
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has intensified bombardments across the Palestinian enclave and blew up houses in the north of the territory.
In the central Gaza camp of Nuseirat, an Israeli airstrike killed six people in a house, and another attack killed three in a home in Gaza City, medics told Reuters.
Two children were killed when a missile hit a tent encampment in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while four other people were killed in an airstrike in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, medics said.
Residents said the military blew up clusters of houses in the northern Gaza areas of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, where Israeli forces have operated since October this year.
Palestinians claimed that Israeli operations on the northern edge of the enclave are part of a plan to clear people out through forced evacuations and bombardments to create a buffer zone — an allegation the army denies.
The military said it has killed hundreds of Hamas fighters there since the war in Gaza started. Hamas’s armed wing says it has killed many Israeli forces in anti-tank rocket and mortar fire attacks, and in ambushes with explosive devices since the new operation started.
Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza said Sunday that at least 44,429 people have been killed in more than 13 months of Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory.
The toll includes 47 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 105,250 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that aid delivery through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing into the Gaza Strip has been halted for safety reasons after looting by armed gangs from inside Gaza, Reuters reported.
