Gaza ceasefire talks very close to deal signing: Joe Biden

 The talks in Qatar's capital Doha on establishing a cease-fire in Gaza were suspended yesterday Friday. However, the mediators will discuss the matter again next week. In the process, they are trying to sign an agreement aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement that Washington had presented a new proposal for a ceasefire. It contains some points of compromise and minimizes disagreements, which can speed up the execution of an agreement. The mediators said that they will work on this proposal.

The statement said the talks are now at the stage of producing results, saving human lives, bringing relief to the people of Gaza and de-escalating regional tensions.

Mediators from Israel and other countries opened the latest round of talks on Thursday to end the war in Gaza. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the war that began on October 7 last year. Although the Palestinian independence organization Hamas is not directly participating in the current talks, they are being informed about the content and progress of the talks.

"Israel has not complied with what was agreed to in the previous talks," senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq told Reuters, citing mediators.

Very close to the deal

US President Joe Biden said in Washington that a ceasefire in Gaza is "very, very close" to signing a deal now than at any time since it began.

A senior Biden administration official said the latest mediation effort is now the most productive in months. Negotiators will return to the table in Cairo next week, hoping to get it done.

The official, who did not want to reveal his name, also told the reporters, 'In the last 48 hours, all the negotiators have reached a consensus. Now there is a real new initiative to end this discussion.' He also said, 'The Israeli representatives participating in the talks are powerful enough. We have made progress on several fronts. We are working on these issues.'

Biden said in a statement that he had asked his representatives engaged in the compromise to move forward with the new proposal presented on Friday. The proposal is based on the establishment of a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

The US President also said that he spoke with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. They strongly supported the US proposal.