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Israel and Hamas may be able to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal within one or two weeks, but such an agreement is unlikely to be secured in the next day, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday.
Speaking during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, the official said that if the two sides agree to a proposed 60-day ceasefire, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent ceasefire that would require the Palestinian militant group to disarm.
If Hamas refuses, “we’ll proceed” with military operations in Gaza, the official, who spoke to the Reuters news agency on the condition of anonymity, said.
US President Donald Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza, with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff indicating that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a US-brokered ceasefire proposal after 21 months of war.
Earlier, Trump had indicated that an agreement might be possible by the end of this week, sparking rumors of an announcement before Netanyahu’s departure for Israel on Thursday.
On Wednesday, however, Trump appeared to extend the timeframe, telling reporters that while an agreement was “very close”, it could happen this week or even next, though “not definitely”.
A source familiar with Hamas’ thinking said four days of indirect talks with Israel in Qatar did not produce any breakthroughs on the main sticking points.
The Israeli official, who briefed reporters in Washington, declined to provide details on the negotiations.
Witkoff told reporters at a US cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the anticipated agreement would involve the release of 10 living and nine dead hostages.
Trump and his team have sought to leverage the declining influence of Iran, a supporter of Hamas, to encourage both parties towards a resolution to conclude the conflict in Gaza.
Almost two years of war
The Gaza conflict began when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
Israel’s retaliatory war has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry says, and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.
Netanyahu has used his US visit to publicly thank Trump for joining with Israel in striking Iran.
