Washington cautiously optimistic about 2-month ceasefire in exchange for over 100 Israeli hostages

U.S.-led negotiations have reportedly made progress in reaching a two-month-long ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas war in exchange for the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages, according to the New York Times on Sunday.

Despite the complexity of the indirect talks, negotiators believe that a deal could be reached within the next 14 days. If implemented, such a deal could potentially change the regional dynamic extending far beyond the border area between Gaza and southern Israel.

A written draft is reportedly emerging based on input from the terror organization Hamas and Israel and will allegedly form the basis for secret negotiations that are scheduled to take place Paris, France on Sunday. Due to the fragility of the talks, American officials prefer not to provide details at this time.

Egypt and Qatar are the two regional players making significant efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of the more than 100 hostages currently being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regarding the hostage crisis and a potential Gaza ceasefire.

“Both leaders affirmed that a hostage deal is central to establishing a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and ensure additional life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in need throughout Gaza,” the White House announced in an official statement following the top-level talks between the leaders.

“They underscored the urgency of the situation, and welcomed the close cooperation among their teams to advance recent discussions,” according to the statement.

While the war between Hamas and Israel could potentially last for several months, time is running out for the remaining hostages. There is no official number of hostages stated, however, there are an estimated 132 hostages still being held by terrorists in Gaza, and not all of them are alive.

For those who are still alive, it is expected that their overall health situation is deteriorating due to malnutrition, difficult living conditions and a lack of medical treatment while being held captive.

The seemingly incompatible demands by Israel and Hamas have made the talks that much more complex. Being under intense military pressure, Hamas leaders in Gaza increasingly understand that a long-term ceasefire is necessary for their survival, which is why they are demanding a permanent end to the war.

The war was initiated by the Hamas terror group on Oct. 7, shortly after a reported 3,000 Hamas terrorists, operatives and allies invaded Israel and massacred over 1,200 Israeli men, women and children.

The Israeli government has refused to commit to a permanent ceasefire and has vowed to dismantle the Hamas terror organization military leaders and infrastructure and to remove them from power in Gaza.

Israel has publicly vowed to bring home all of its hostages home. However, Hamas leaders, such as Yahya Sinwar in Gaza – believed to be the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 terror attack – are allegedly using the hostages as human shields and leverage in the war and are, therefore, unwilling to release them.

An Israeli official recently dismissed previous reports of progress in the ceasefire talks.

“Reports of an agreement in principle to a ceasefire are not correct. There are very large gaps and there is no advancement in talks,” the Israeli official revealed. “It’s very complicated. Hamas is constantly hardening its position,” the official added.