Do not undermine Gaza ceasefire deal, warns Biden

BBC:

US President Joe Biden has warned all sides involved in the negotiations for a possible Gaza ceasefire deal not to undermine efforts.

Biden declared that “we are closer than we’ve ever been” to a ceasefire following the latest round of negotiations, but a senior Hamas official expressed scepticism.

The president also announced he was sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel to continue the “intensive efforts to conclude this agreement”.

His comments come following a joint statement by the US, Qatar and Egypt – stating that they had presented a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal that “narrows the gaps” between Israel and Hamas.

Any sign of progress in the Qatar talks is regarded as essential by governments desperate to avoid the war in Gaza spiralling into an all-out regional conflict.

The mediators said that the past two days of ceasefire discussions had been “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere”.

Technical teams are expected to continue working over the coming days on the details of how to implement the proposed terms before senior government officials meet again in Cairo, hoping to reach an agreement on the terms set out in Doha.

Mr Biden later said in a statement that he had spoken separately with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, who had expressed “strong support” for the proposal.

He added that he was also sending Mr Blinken back to the Middle East to “reaffirm my iron-clad support for Israel’s security” and to “underscore that with the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now in sight, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process”.

While the mediators’ statement is clearly a positive development, there is still a long way to go before a ceasefire is agreed.

Nevertheless, Mr Blinken told US reporters that he had become more optimistic than ever that a deal was in reach but said if he revealed why, he’d “give it away”.

Asked when a potential ceasefire might start, he said “that remains to be seen”.