US Envoy Says New Gaza Ceasefire, Hostage Deal Possible in Weeks

(Bloomberg) — A new Gaza ceasefire deal under which Israel would recover all hostages held by Hamas is possible, even within weeks, a US negotiator said after holding rare direct talks with the Palestinian militant group.

A six-week truce mediated by Qatar and Egypt expired on March 2, leaving the sides on the verge of resuming a 17-month-old war that has shaken the region. Efforts to secure an open-ended suspension of hostilities have stumbled over Israel’s demand, backed by the US, for an end to Hamas’ rule and arsenal in the Gaza Strip.

“I think something could come together within weeks,” Adam Boehler, the US envoy for hostages, said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “I will say that I believe there is enough there to make a deal between what Hamas wants and what they’ve accepted and what Israel wants and it’s accepted.” 

Such a deal, he said, could allow Israel to repatriate all 59 remaining Gaza hostages “and not just the Americans,” he added, referring to a handful of US dual nationals.

Israel plans to send envoys to Doha on Monday for potential new Gaza negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. His spokesperson, Omer Dostri, said on Sunday that there was no progress to report for now.

Hamas has signaled willingness to cede some power, but not its rockets and rifles.

The White House confirmed last week that Boehler had direct contacts with Hamas, which is on a terrorism blacklist of the US and other Western powers.

“I actually think they were very productive talks,” Boehler said on Fox News Sunday. “They identified some opportunity to come together.” 

Israel had “raised some concerns” about the US-Hamas contacts, Boehler said. But he played these down, saying: “There’s no question in my mind that our greatest ally is Israel.”

On Sunday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said he had ordered an immediate halt to the supply of electricity to Gaza, as a tool to gain the hostages’ release.

Asked about missing American Austin Tice, Boehler told CNN that he would travel soon to Syria, where Tice has been missing since 2012.

“Austin is on my list, and I’m going to go to Syria,” he said.

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