US says Gaza truce deal ‘possible’ this week as Israel ramps up attacks

The United States has announced that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza could be reached as early as this week, despite ongoing heavy Israeli military bombardments of the Palestinian enclave that have resulted in significant casualties. U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Monday that a ceasefire was close at hand after more than a year of conflict.

“We are close to a proposal that I laid out some months ago in the war between Israel and Hamas, being realized,” Biden said during a foreign policy address. He further added, “I’ve learned in my years in public service, never, never, never give up. We’re working hard to get a deal done.” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also stated at a press briefing earlier in the day that an agreement could be reached within days, though he added that such a deal was not a certainty.

Sullivan stated, “We are close to a deal, and it is possible that it could be completed this week. I’m not making promises or predictions, but it is possible, and we are working towards it.” He also confirmed that Biden had recently spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, regarding the negotiations. The outgoing US president will also speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi soon. “We are at a critical moment in the hostage deal and ceasefire negotiations in Gaza right now,” Sullivan said.

Ceasefire negotiations, mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, are taking place in Doha and have entered an advanced stage. Israel's chief negotiators, such as the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies, are expected to stay for another day. Hamas has also stated that there has been some progress in negotiations on some disputed issues that have been discussed numerous times during the 15-month war, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 46,500 Palestinians in Gaza. A Palestinian organization official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters, “There has been progress in negotiations on some core issues, and we are working to finalize the remaining work as soon as possible.”

Officials have stated that after the latest discussions in the Qatari capital, a final draft of an agreement, which includes an exchange of captives in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, has been submitted to all parties. Netanyahu and Biden spoke on the phone on Sunday to discuss the latest developments, and Biden reiterated that now was the time to reach an agreement. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his senior officials have repeatedly threatened that there will be "hell to pay" if the hostages are not released or a deal is not reached by January 20. Vice President-elect JD Vance stated, “It’s clear that President Trump threatening Hamas and making it clear that there would be hell to pay is part of why we are making progress in getting some of these hostages released.”

Netanyahu is also facing internal pressure from far-right members of his ruling coalition, who have threatened to leave the coalition if an agreement is reached, although Netanyahu has emphasized that Israel will maintain military control over Gaza regardless of any agreement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of one of the hardline, ultra-nationalist religious parties in the country’s ruling coalition, said the fact that an agreement was being reached in Qatar was a “disaster for national security.” On Monday, angry relatives of Israelis held captive in Gaza stormed into a committee meeting room in the Israeli parliament, accusing Smotrich of abandoning their loved ones and stating that “the conditions for an agreement are ripe.”

As negotiations for a possible agreement heat up, the Israeli military has been conducting relentless heavy air strikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip. Medical sources told Al Jazeera on Monday that at least 45 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past day. Many of the attacks were concentrated in Gaza City in northern Gaza, where, according to local authorities, the Israeli siege has been ongoing for more than 100 days, resulting in at least 5,000 deaths or missing persons. The siege has also destroyed hospitals and other critical infrastructure, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and seen many Palestinians taken captive by Israeli forces.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on Monday that there had been numerous drone strikes since early morning. “These strikes are taking place in areas where the vast majority of displaced people are taking refuge, areas that are densely populated,” he said. The Israeli military said that five soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded in fighting in northern Gaza on Monday. These deaths bring the Israeli military’s losses in the Gaza war to 408 since October 27, 2023. Former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, one of the architects of the Oslo peace accords in the early 1990s, told Al Jazeera that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was “long overdue.” He said, “The main issue is: How many [captives and prisoners] will be released? Once they agree on that, and agree on the [timing] of the release, then there is a possibility for an agreement.”

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with about half the population being children, as the Israeli military continues to block most aid from entering and is starving the population.