In a statement following the second day of talks in Qatar, Biden said, “Earlier today, I received an update from my negotiating team on the ground in Doha and directed them to put forward the comprehensive bridging proposal presented today, which offers the basis for coming to a final agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.”
“I spoke separately with Amir Sheikh Tamim and President Sisi to review the significant progress made in Doha over the past two days of talks, and they expressed the strong support of Qatar and Egypt for the U.S. proposal as co-mediators in this process. Our teams will remain on the ground to continue technical work over the coming days, and senior officials will convene again in Cairo before the end of the week. They will report to me regularly,” he added.
“I am sending Secretary Blinken to Israel to reaffirm my iron-clad support for Israel’s security, continue our intensive efforts to conclude this agreement 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,” said Biden.
The US, Egypt and Qatar published a statement earlier on Friday in which they expressed optimism that an agreement will be reached before the end of next week to release hostages, save lives, bring relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalate regional tensions.
Biden subsequently stated that “we’re closer than we have ever been before” to securing a hostage release deal.
"We are closer than we have ever been...I don’t want to jinx anything, but we may have something. We’re not there yet, but much, much closer than it was three days ago,” Biden said in the White House.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters later on Friday that the process of a ceasefire and hostage release deal “is now in the end game.”
"It was the consensus of all the participants here over the last 48 hours that there's really a new spirit here to drive this to a conclusion," the official said.
The official stated that the latest negotiations in Doha “have been the most productive in months” and added that negotiators will reconvene next week in Cairo hoping to conclude it.
He cautioned, however, that work remained to be done, adding, "This is a very difficult, complex deal." Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
