Nimrod Goren, Brian Katulis, Gönül Tol, Charles Lister, Fadi Nicholas Nassar, Syed Mohammad Ali
Back in late January 2024, the media first reported on a possible six-week deal under consideration to pause the fighting in Gaza and release Israeli hostages. The United States, Egypt, and Qatar then stepped up their mediation efforts in February in the hopes of reaching such an outcome ahead of Ramadan (which started in early March). “[M]y hope is that by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire,” President Joe Biden said on Feb. 27, reflecting the intense US diplomatic investment in this endeavor. Alas, Ramadan came and went, negotiations continued, but no deal was reached.
In March, Washington raised the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by not vetoing a United National Security Council resolution on a cease-fire; and in April, messaging from the Biden administration signaled that Israel was ready for a deal but Hamas needed to be pushed further. As talks lingered, doubts and concerns intensified about the fate of the hostages, an Israeli military operation in Rafah, the effectiveness of the international mediators, and the readiness of Israel and Hamas to reach a deal.
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