Middle East: US 'cautiously optimistic' on Gaza ceasefire

Top officials from the US, Qatar and Egypt have touted progress in recent days over a ceasefire and a hostage deal in Gaza.

CIA Director William Burns, a key US negotiator, was due in Doha on Wednesday for talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on bridging remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas, according to Reuters.

A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected reports the Israeli leader was traveling to Cairo for negotiations over a deal.

While top leaders have expressed cautious optimism, there's been little word from Israel's side of movement on a truce that would lead to the release of hostages held in Gaza. 

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister has voiced suspicion of the head of the group that led the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad and cast doubt on the extent to which Syria's new de-facto rulers have abandoned their jihadist beliefs.

"These are terrorist organizations and this is a wolf in [sheep's] clothes," said Sharren Haskel of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

"It is important to avoid falling for the attempt to whitewash jihadist [groups] in Syria. We know who they are and their true nature, even if they change their names, and we understand how dangerous they are to the West," she said.

Al-Golani, who has now ditched his nom de guerre in favor of his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, fought for Al-Qaeda in Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion

He later established an Al-Qaeda subsidiary in Syria, the Al-Nusra Front, which was temporarily allied with the so-called Islamic State group.

However, al-Golani later split from and fought against both jihadist groups, eventually rebranding Al-Nusra as the Islamist HTS.

Since taking Damascus earlier this month, al-Golani has denied having plans to impose strict Islamic rule and pledged toleration of religious minorities.

While criticizing Israel's recent incursion into Syrian territory beyond the annexed Golan Heights as an "unwarranted escalation in the region," al-Golani also said over the weekend that "Syria's war-weary condition, after years of conflict and war, does not allow for new confrontations."

He added: "The priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into disputes that could lead to further destruction."

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Tuesday that a ceasefire and hostages deal could be possible in Gaza provided Israel refrains from setting new terms.

"Hamas affirms that, in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place today in Doha under the auspices of our Qatari and Egyptian brothers, reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation ceases to impose new conditions," the Islamist group said in a statement.

The comments came as negotiations between Hamas, Israel and international mediators continued in Qatar, with US officials expressing "cautious optimism."

"We believe – and the Israelis have said this – that we're getting closer, and no doubt about it, we believe that, but we also are cautious in our optimism," White House spokesperson John Kirby told Fox News on Tuesday.

A senior Palestinian source told the BBC that negotiations were in their "decisive and final phase" after the Washington Post reported that Hamas had dropped its demand that the Israeli army would leave the Gaza Strip completely, considered a main stumbling block.

According to the report, citing Egyptian sources, Hamas also gave Israel a list of living hostages.

On Monday, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli negotiators have "not been this close to an agreement" for the release of hostages in Gaza since a brief truce in November 2023.

A senior Hamas official based in Doha also said on Monday that a deal was "closer than ever before" but, preempting Tuesday's statement, warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could still "disrupt the agreement as he has done every time before."

Dozens of people were killed when Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, as negotiations continued in Doha (see below).

Medics said at least 10 people were confirmed killed in an airstrike on a house in the Daraj suburb of Gaza City – including eight people from the same family.

Among the dead were a father and his three children, as well as the children's grandmother, according to a casualty list obtained by the Associated Press.

Further north, at least 15 people were believed to be dead or missing under the rubble of a house hit by an airstrike in the town of Beit Lahiya, which has been under Israeli siege since early October. Rescuers were initially unable to reach the site to confirm the casualties.

At least 10 other Palestinians were killed in separate strikes elsewhere.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched after a Hamas-led attack that killed some 1,200 people and saw more than 250 abducted as hostages, has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the devastated coastal enclave.

US government officials believe the two sides could be getting closer to a ceasefire deal in Gaza, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

Kirby gave the remarks in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News.

"We believe - and the Israelis have said this - that we're getting closer, and no doubt about it, we believe that, but we also are cautious in our optimism," Kirby said. "We've been in this position before where we weren't able to get it over the finish line."

When asked about rumors that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be traveling to Cairo for ceasefire talks, Kirby did not comment. Netanyahu's office said it was 

mf/jcg (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)