Hamas leader Sinwar ready for hostage deal, Egypt and Qatar claim ahead of critical summit – report

Recently appointed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is ready to agree to a hostage release and truce deal with Israel, Egyptian and Qatari mediators who informed Israeli officials ahead of a planned meeting next week, CNN reported on Sunday.

So far, the hardline Hamas leader who presided over the Oct. 7 massacre has been widely described as one of the main obstacles to reaching a deal with Israel.

Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to Israel participating in a summit on Aug. 15 “to finalize the details and implement the framework agreement.”

Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar on Thursday had jointly urged Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization to meet and finalize a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. In addition, negotiations and meetings between low-level technical delegations were ongoing “around the clock,” ahead of the summit, according to a source.

While the CNN report cited the Israeli source as saying, “Nobody knows what Bibi [Netanyahu] wants,” Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition allies told Israeli media they were concerned the prime minister is determined to strike a deal, which they vocally oppose.

Although extreme-right elements within his government have resisted proposed hostage agreements thus far, Netanyahu has reportedly reconciled with the possibility that accepting a ceasefire could lead to the dissolution of his coalition.

Despite the fears of Netanyahu’s political allies, Israeli security sources told CNN remain skeptical of the embattled prime minister’s willingness to approve a deal while the threat of his government coming to an end continued to hang over the negotiations.

The Israeli source also told CNN that U.S. officials told their Israeli colleagues that a ceasefire deal should be reached now to prevent a larger regional war.

Pressure on Netanyahu to finalize a deal remains intense within Israel. On Thursday, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum has renewed its calls for securing both a hostage agreement and a ceasefire.

”A deal is the only path to bring all hostages home. Time is running out. The hostages have no more to spare. A deal must be signed now!” the forum stated.

Amid threats of large-scale attacks against Israel from Iran and Hezbollah, the Axios news site reported that "a train" of U.S. officials will travel to the region this coming week to prevent a possible deterioration of the situation.

The Biden administration hopes to leverage a possible truce deal in Gaza and use it to prevent an escalation between the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and its Iranian backers.

On Friday, White House Spokesman John Kirby said a deal was urgent because “every day that passes, the lives of the hostages are in greater danger and the suffering in Gaza continues.”

Kirby also said the deal would “demand compromises and leadership by both sides.”

Speaking with Axios, Israeli officials described the upcoming summit on Thursday as “a now-or-never” moment to reach an agreement to bring the home the remaining Israeli hostages who have been held in captivity in Gaza since Oct. 7.

The IDF estimates that 115 hostages remain in Gaza, with only 74 still alive.