Ceasefire talks at risk as US prepares new Gaza peace plan

The White House is urgently working on a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, according to several U.S. and Egyptian officials and people familiar with the matter. The new plan aims to resolve key sticking points that have stalled for months the U.S.-Qatar-Egypt-brokered negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas.

On Wednesday, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters that much of the deal had been finalized. Yet two crucial issues remain: Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategic buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border, and disagreements over which specific individuals should be included in a potential hostage swap.

The proposal is expected to be ready next week, if not sooner, with one U.S. official indicating that a revised draft could be unveiled as early as this weekend. “The sense is that the time is now,” the official said, reflecting the urgency felt by negotiators.

The recent killing of six hostages by Hamas, whose bodies were returned to Israel over the weekend, has intensified pressure on all sides. CIA Director William Burns is leading the U.S. negotiating team, which includes senior officials such as Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The situation remains volatile, with five Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority, rejecting Israel's demand to keep troops in the Philadelphia Corridor. Negotiations continue, but the first phase of a deal would require Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas, which Israel disputes, including the corridor.