‘Nothing Is Negotiated Until…’: US National Security Council On Ceasefire Deal In Israel-Hamas War

John Kirby, the spokesperson for the US National Security Council, has communicated that the Biden administration believes we're nearing the finish line with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, being close to 90% complete.

Washington, DC: On the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, the Biden administration’s position is that it is 90 percent agreed upon, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday (local time), adding, “That’s how close we believe we are,” Al Jazeera reported. “Nothing is negotiated until everything is negotiated,” Kirby said. He noted that several detailed issues remain to be resolved, adding that “that’s when things get difficult.”

“You call that optimistic. I call that accurate. That’s how close we believe we are. That’s where we have gotten to. The basic framework of the deal has been agreed to,” Kirby said.

“What we’re talking about now is the implementing details and specifically the exchange of prisoners. And now that calculus is different because of what happened over the weekend,” he said, referring to the recovery of the bodies of six captives from Gaza by Israeli forces.

But he added: “Nothing is negotiated until everything is negotiated, and the things that are still in play right now are very, very detailed… issues and that’s when things get difficult.” said Kirby

Meanwhile, Hamas’ lead negotiator has urged the US to press Israel for a truce in Gaza, as per Al Jazeera.

“If the US administration and its President Biden really want to reach a ceasefire and complete a prisoner exchange deal, they must abandon their blind bias towards the Zionist occupation and exert real pressure on Netanyahu and his government,” Qatar-based Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement.

Hamas recently expressed its solid support for President Biden’s suggested ceasefire in Gaza, also championed by a resolution from the UN Security Council. However, they cautioned people to be wary of falling into the snare set by Netanyahu, who might be using negotiations as a means to extend the violence against Palestinians. Reports from the Health Ministry reveal a concerning rise in fatalities, with the recent death toll in the West Bank reaching 39 since the end of August. This grim total results in a staggering count of 691 Palestinian lives lost in the occupied territories since October 7. Other distressing news: on October 7, a series of attacks by Hamas near the Gaza border led to a heartbreaking loss of approximately 1,200 lives and resulted in 252 individuals, including Israelis and foreigners, being held captive.