US President Joe Biden will not be able to deliver an end to the Israel-Hamas war before he leaves office, American officials have informed the Wall Street Journal. For months, President Biden has been claiming that a deal was close at hand, as the US, alongside Qatar and Egyptian mediators, sought to secure an agreement with Hamas releasing its remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and ceasing its military operations in Gaza.
However, both Hamas and Israel have accused each other of scuppering multiple ceasefire proposals so far, with the Palestinian militants demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from their enclave. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from his hardline coalition partners not to leave Gaza until Hamas’ command structure has been completely destroyed.
An anonymous US official told the WSJ on Wednesday that “no deal is imminent,” adding: “I’m not sure it ever gets done.” The recent execution of six hostages by Hamas last month and Israel’s alleged maiming of thousands of Hezbollah members with exploding pagers in Lebanon this week have further threatened to derail the deal, according to US and Arab sources.
One official from an Arab country stated that “there’s no chance now of it happening,” and “everyone is in a wait-and-see mode until after the election.” The outcome will determine what can happen in the next administration.
Under pressure from pro-Palestinian progressives within his party, Biden has for months pledged to deliver a ceasefire, claiming that “we are closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement, and that his administration was engaged in “intensive efforts to conclude this agreement.” Other members of the Biden administration have made similarly optimistic statements, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken noting two weeks ago that Israel and Hamas had agreed to “more than 90 percent” of a draft deal. Despite recent Israeli escalations against Hezbollah, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday that “we do not believe that a deal is falling apart.
A senior Israeli official claimed on Thursday that West Jerusalem is prepared to end its Gaza operation and offer safe passage out of the enclave for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in exchange for the militants releasing all remaining hostages at once and laying down their arms. However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant later stated that neither he nor Israel’s negotiation team had heard of this plan, while Israeli pundits pointed out that Hamas’ leadership would be unlikely to agree to disarmament and exile.
The conflict between Hamas and Israel began last October when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,100 people and the capture of around 250 hostages, who were taken back to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and imposed a near-total siege on the strip. After nearly a year of Israeli bombing and ground operations, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry.
Hamas released 105 hostages as part of a ceasefire deal last November, but the number of remaining captives remains unclear, with concerns about their survival.