Advisor to the US President on National Security, Jake Sullivan, has stated that the United States hopes for a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip in the coming days, informs The Washington Post.
According to him, the official representatives engaged in negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have preliminarily agreed on the "basic contours" of the deal.
"We hope that in the coming days, we can drive to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue. So we are telling everyone, including the Israeli government, that it is our firm position that every effort be exercised to get to this agreement, and then we can move forward from there," said Sullivan.
Recently, a round of talks took place among representatives of Israel, Egypt, the United States, and Qatar, which acts as a mediator for Hamas. The negotiations have been at an impasse in recent weeks after Israeli forces advanced further into Gaza, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Hamas's ceasefire demands as "delusional."
According to Sullivan, the next step will be talks between Qatar, Egypt, and Hamas.
"That work is underway," he said.
Israel - Hamas war
On October 7, 2023, militants from the radical Palestinian Islamic movement HAMAS attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip territory. According to official data, in the first days of the attack, militants killed 1200 civilians and soldiers, and abducted around 250 people.
At the end of October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip, which is ongoing. The country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the objective of the operation is the complete destruction of HAMAS and the liberation of hostages.
On February 8, Netanyahu announced that the complete victory of the IDF is imminent. He also mentioned the readiness of the IDF to launch a ground invasion into the city of Rafah near the border with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip.
Egypt threatens to suspend a key peace agreement with Israel if the country's army enters Rafah.
The latest ceasefire negotiations collapsed two weeks ago when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected HAMAS's proposal for a 4.5-month truce, which was supposed to end with the withdrawal of Israeli forces, dismissing it as "delusional."
Recently, Israel threatened to advance into Rafah if HAMAS does not release hostages before Ramadan.
