Netanyahu spox. denies reports of trip to Cairo for hostage talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson, Omer Dostri, denied the reports that Netanyahu was on his way to Cairo for hostage deal negotiations in a post to X/Twitter on Tuesday. 

"Contrary to the wave of rumors, Prime Minister Netanyahu is not in Cairo."

בניגוד לגל השמועות - ראש הממשלה נתניהו לא נמצא בקהיר, ואין חדש בעניין אלי כהן ז״ל.

— עומר דוסטרי - Omer Dostri (@omerdos) December 17, 2024

This statement followed an earlier Reuters report that the prime minister was on his way to Cairo for hostage deal negotiations, which is reportedly expected to be signed in the coming days, sources briefed on the talks reported. 

An Egyptian source also denied reports that Netanyahu would be visiting Cairo, according to Egyptian state-owned news agency Al-Ahram. 

Adam Boeler, President-elect Donald Trump's special envoy for hostage affairs, was reportedly the one who visited Egypt, KAN reported on Tuesday evening. 

Following this announcement, Hamas stated that they affirmed the "serious and positive discussions" that took place in Doha with Qatari and Egyptian mediators. 

"Reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation refrains from setting new conditions," Hamas stated. 

Palestinian sources told Saudi-owned network Asharq Al-Awsat that the ongoing talks have reached an "advanced" and "semi-final" stage. 

National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby commented on the development, saying, "We are getting closer to a Gaza ceasefire deal" in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. 

While State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday afternoon "that's a fair fair way to characterize it," he also said the administration is very much "tempered by the realism of the past several months" where a deal has been within the 10-yard line before but the two parties have not agreed to a final deal. 

"So here's what I'll say about it," he said. "We continue to engage with the mediators. The mediators continue to engage with Hamas and with Israel. Based on the remaining issues, we should be able to get to an agreement, we should be able to bridge the disagreements between the two parties."

But again, Miller noted, there have been times during previous negotiations where the Biden administration thought the differences were bridgeable and ultimately a deal was not reached. 

"As you've heard me say before, all the United States can do is push and try to come up with compromises, but we cannot dictate to either side what choice they have to make. They have to make those decisions for themselves."

Miller declined again to comment from the podium on any reporting of the details of the agreement, only saying "we are calling on Israel to reach a ceasefire agreement, we have not called for them to unilaterally disarm against an enemy that is still committed to the destruction of Israel."

He repeated that the US does not support unilateral disarmament as Hamas holds 100 hostages, including seven American citizens. 

In addition to ceasefire talks, Miller confirmed US and Israeli officials will meet early next week for the conflict channel for Gaza to "get access to information about a number of incidents" that the US has concerns about. 

Additionally, hostage talks were in a "decisive and final phase," a senior Palestinian official involved in indirect negotiations told BBC.

Along with Netanyahu flying to Cairo, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Egypt before heading to the Vatican, Hezbollah-affiliated news network Al-Mayadeen reported. 

What could the hostage deal include?

This report follows Hamas reportedly ceding its requests demanding that Israeli troops withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and the war ends in the framework of a hostage deal, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing an official for the terror group. 

The deal will reportedly include a 60-day pause in the conflict and the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. 

However, the official noted that Hamas still demanded that Palestinians be allowed to return to the north of the Gaza Strip.

"There is a noticeable shift in public opinion,” a Hamas member was quoted as saying by the publication, adding, “There is now a strong desire to end the war at any cost.”

On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said a hostage deal was closer than ever. 

Such a remark was reiterated by a senior Hamas official, cited in the Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We are closer than ever to reaching a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire, provided that Netanyahu does not obstruct the agreement,” he reportedly said.

Sam Halpern and Raquel Guertzenstein Frohlich contributed to this report.