President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was briefed on progress in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar brokering the deal along with Egypt and the United States.
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William Burns, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, said Saturday that the White House is working toward a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas in time for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. .
The development comes as President Trump warned in December of “hell to pay” if all the hostages were not returned by Inauguration Day, which is scheduled to take place more than a week later.
“The negotiations that are happening right now are very serious, and there is a possibility that a deal could be concluded within the next few weeks, at least,” Burns said in an interview with National Public Radio.
He added: “This administration worked very hard on that up until January 20th. I think the coordination with the new administration on this issue has been successful. As you know, President-elect Trump has We have made it clear that we are trying to reach an agreement.”
Qatar briefs Trump administration
Meanwhile, President Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was briefed on the progress of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar mediating the agreement along with Egypt and the United States.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with Witkov to discuss “the latest developments in the region, particularly efforts towards a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.” said.
“There has been some progress.”
Earlier this week, U.S. and Arab mediators made some progress in efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but not enough to seal a deal.
“We are making real progress,” US President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House. “I still hope that we can do a prisoner exchange,” he said, adding that Hamas was standing in the way. The president said he met with negotiators on Thursday.
Hamas announced on Monday that it had submitted to a mediator a list of 34 Israeli prisoners captured in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war. These people could be released as part of the “initial stages of a prisoner exchange agreement”.
Based on opinions from agents
