EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The final days of the Biden Administration are coinciding with an all-out push to reach a ceasefire-for-hostage deal in Gaza. And in a rare case of what might be called “transition diplomacy” in the U.S., senior officials from the current administration – CIA Director William Burns and Middle East special envoy Brett McGurk – have been joined by the Trump Administration’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in the efforts to bring Israel and Hamas to an agreement.
The words “breakthrough” and “imminent deal” have been used all too often in the fifteen months since Israel began its war against Gaza, and in that time there has been only one agreement – a temporary one – to exchange a pause in hostilities for a return of hostages. That was in November 2023. More than a year later, there are higher-than-ever hopes that these last days of the Biden Administration may bring a longer-term deal to fruition.
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The post The Hopes for a Gaza Ceasefire – and What Might Follow appeared first on The Cipher Brief.
