The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have finalized a cease-fire proposal to halt the ongoing Gaza war between Israel and Hamas after holding discussions in Doha over the last two days.
The three nations released a joint statement on Friday announcing that they presented both sides of the conflict with a finalized cease-fire deal, and plan on holding discussions in Cairo next week to conclude the negotiations.
The proposal is consistent with the principles President Joe Biden laid out in a three-part cease-fire plan on May 31, the statement says. “This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week, and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal,” the statement adds.
Negotiation teams will spend the next few days sorting through the logistics of the humanitarian provisions, hostage, and detainee elements of the cease-fire plan. It remains unclear if Israel and Hamas will sign off on the deal.
Last week, the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar announced the Doha summit with the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel looming over the negotiations. Hamas did not send a delegation to Doha for the talks following the death of the terrorist group’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed during a visit to Iran for the inauguration of the country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
U.S. and Israeli officials have geared up for an Iranian retaliation, but so far Iran has delayed its response to the death of Haniyeh and a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that “an attack could come with little or no warning, and certainly could come in the coming days. And we have to be ready for it.”
Biden addressed the cease-fire negotiations on Friday at an unrelated event proclaiming the site of the 1908 Springfield, Ill., race riot a national monument.
He said “we are closer than we’ve ever been” to a cease-fire.
“But we’re not there yet,” he added. “It’s much, much closer than it was three days ago. So, keep your fingers crossed.”