Indirect negotiations aimed at concluding a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in the framework of which Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, "are on the way to completion", a senior US official assured yesterday.
The US official's reports came on the eve of US President Joe Biden's scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Biden will try to bridge some "final gaps" when he hosts Mr Netanyahu later on Thursday at the White House. But key elements of the deal, particularly the fate of the hostages, have yet to be accepted by Hamas, according to the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
"We believe that we are in the final stage and that an agreement can be reached," he insisted.
There will be "a lot of activity in the coming week" to finalize it, he continued, adding that such a deal is "not only possible, but necessary."
The official sought to play down Mr Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress yesterday, promising "total victory" over Hamas, insisting that the focus of the meeting at the US presidency would be on striking a deal.
The eventual truce now depends on certain issues such as how it will be implemented, since Hamas no longer demands a priori a definitive ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, according to the US official.
"I don't expect this (Biden-Netanyahu) meeting to be about yes or no, it will be more about 'how do we bridge these last gaps?' There are some things we need from the Israeli side, no doubt," he said.
"But there are also key elements that are exclusively in the hands of Hamas, because the hostages are in the hands of Hamas," he added.