Biden’s top advisor negotiates Israel-Hamas cease-fire in Qatar

The Biden Administration is continuing its attempt to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently met with Benjamin Netanyahu to finalize the details of the White House proposal, which was subsequently accepted by the Israeli prime minister. Just days later, a senior Biden official traveled to Qatar to advance the deal with the other side.

"President Biden asked me to come back on this trip ... to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to Israel's security", Blinken said on Aug. 19. Also, in a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he confirmed that Israel accepts the mediation proposal and supports it; adding that "now Hamas must do the same."

To move closer to the agreement, Brett McGurk, President Biden's top Middle East advisor, traveled to Qatar, where he met with senior government officials. Among them was Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who recently traveled to Tehran to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

As reported by The Washington Times, an Israeli delegation arrived in Doha on Wednesday to join these talks.

The cited media also confirmed that McGurk spoke specifically about the ceasefire in Qatar to reach an understanding as quickly as possible.

Regarding the meeting between Netanyahu and Blinken, the Israeli prime minister expressed that he "had a very good and important meeting today with Secretary of State Blinken. I greatly appreciate the efforts that the U.S. is making in regional defense against the Iranian axis. This is important, of course, for the State of Israel."

"I also greatly appreciate the understanding that the U.S. showed to our vital security interests amid our joint efforts to bring about the release of our hostages. I would like to emphasize efforts to release a maximum number of living hostages – already in the first stage of the deal," he added.