A senior Arab diplomat directly involved in the talks told NBC News that there was “very real” headway being made. “We made very good progress,” they said.
The official said President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had played a critical role in advancing talks over the weekend and that Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had also been personally working “24/7” on the matter in recent weeks.
The progress made in recent days follows repeated assurances from Washington since Oct. 7 2023, with the Biden administration undertaking robust — but ultimately unsuccessful — efforts to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas, with both sides trading blame for delays in progress.
It also follows a phone call Sunday between after President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the president “stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages” and a “surge in humanitarian aid.”
“Israel very much wants to release the hostages and is working hard to reach a deal,” Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Monday in a statement following a meeting with his Danish counterpart Lars Rasmussen in Jerusalem.
“There is progress in the negotiations,” Sa’ar said. “I thank our American friends for their help.”
Hamas had yet to release any statement on any progress in negotiations as of early Monday.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas led the Oct. 7 2023 attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israel. The attacks marked a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
More than 46,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in the enclave, according to local health officials, although the death toll is thought to be higher than that figure.
Raf Sanchez and Richard Engel contributed.