White House: Gaza cease-fire talks to extend into next week

Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas will extend into next week, with the goal of concluding the deal, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar said in a joint statement Friday.

Mediators from the three governments presented to the warring parties a “bridging proposal” to overcome gaps in the cease-fire deal, with the goal of setting up by next week an agreement on all sides to implement the deal as soon as possible. 

Talks over the course of two days in Doha, Qatar, were “serious and constructive” and “conducted in a positive atmosphere,” the joint statement read.

The update from the White House seeks to demonstrate that President Biden is moving forward on halting the 10-month fight between Israel and Hamas, which would bring significant relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and secure the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas since they were kidnapped from southern Israel during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. 

The U.S. pursuit of a cease-fire is also viewed as an effort to hold back Iran from launching an attack on Israel in retaliation for the alleged killing of Hamas’s top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 31.

Biden, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said it was his expectation that Iran would hold off attacking Israel to allow cease-fire talks to proceed.

Biden acknowledged earlier this week that efforts to secure the cease-fire were “getting harder” but that he was “not giving up.” The latest round of talks builds on more than two months of intensive diplomacy. Biden first introduced the framework for the cease-fire terms on May 31, and they were endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. 

Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of changing the goal posts of the deal, and there's been concern in Israel and the U.S. that Netanyahu is making certain demands that are dragging out the talks. 

Still, Hamas has made public declarations that are inconsistent with the terms of the deal, such as calling for a guarantee of a permanent end to the war — where the provision in the deal lays out a permanent end will be achieved through negotiation. 

"Any agreement must achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, the return of the displaced and the reconstruction, in addition to a prisoner exchange deal," Husam Badran, member of Hamas's political bureau, said in a statement Thursday on Telegram.