Sullivan said he was more hopeful of a deal now than he was on previous occasions since the Gaza war broke out following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“It’s because the gaps have fundamentally narrowed down,” said Sullivan, Biden’s top national security official.
Progress had been made on issues including the formula for the exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and on how Israel’s forces would be “postured” in Gaza, he said.
Sullivan credited the fact that Israel had achieved its military objectives in Gaza, while Hamas had suffered “catastrophic losses”.
“When you put those two factors together, we believe that the time is right to get a deal and to have to close,” Sullivan said.
Source: CNA
