White House: Hamas obstruction delays ceasefire deal

The White House believes a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is “within reach” and could be finalized before US President Joe Biden's term concludes.

On Friday, December 27, US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby told reporters that negotiations are intensifying in the hopes of securing an agreement in the final days of the administration, Caliber.Az reports referring to US media.

“We are working as hard as we can to try to get a ceasefire agreement before we leave office,” Kirby stated.

However, he acknowledged that talks have stalled as negotiators focus on more detailed aspects of the deal. According to Kirby, Hamas has been obstructing progress, preventing any significant breakthroughs.

"It is precisely because Hamas is obstructing or refusing to move forward on any of these details that we still haven’t come to an agreement... But we believe, as [National Security Adviser] Jake [Sullivan] said, that we are very, very close, and so we are not going to give up," Kirby added.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reported that Israeli negotiators returned from a round of talks in Doha, Qatar, on December 24. However, the following day, both Israel and Hamas accused each other of negotiating in bad faith and making unreasonable demands.

Although Kirby did not disclose the specific issues at the heart of the disagreements, reports from Axios and Israeli media suggest the sticking point is related to the list of hostages still being held by Hamas. The first phase of any ceasefire agreement would involve the release of these hostages. The families of those held captive have warned that further delays could lead to the death of their loved ones due to starvation, disease, or injuries.

As of late November, US officials reported that President Biden had told Prime Minister Netanyahu that, after a ceasefire in Lebanon, the focus should shift to securing the release of hostages and achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. Currently, 101 hostages, including seven American citizens, remain in Hamas captivity, with Israeli intelligence estimating that around half of them are still alive.

By Tamilla Hasanova