Netanyahu 'Ready to Do a Deal' as Hamas Concedes to Israel Cease-Fire Demands, Says Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, stated on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to negotiate a deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.

"According to multiple reports, Sullivan stated during a Tel Aviv press conference that he sensed the prime minister was prepared to make a deal. The prime minister, he said, expressed a desire to finalize the agreement."

On Thursday, Biden's national security adviser met with the Israeli prime minister and was asked if Netanyahu was delaying cease-fire talks with Hamas in order to wait for the incoming Trump administration. Sullivan responded, "I do not get that sense."

"We need to finalize this deal this month. I wouldn't be here today if I believed it would happen after January 20th," he stated.

Two days after meeting with the family members of American hostages held captive by Hamas for over 430 days, Sullivan made his comments.

After more than a year since the last hostage release was agreed to in November 2023, a hostage deal may finally be on the horizon, as Jerusalem and Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire under a 13-point deal late last month.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Hamas has agreed to two key Israeli demands and informed mediators that the terrorist group would permit IDF soldiers to remain in Gaza during a ceasefire.

The group agreed to drop its demands for a permanent end to Israel's campaign and handed over a list of hostages, including Americans, who would be exchanged under a "cease-fire pact."

Hamas has not specified how many hostages they will release or which of the seven Americans still in Gaza are on the list.

The families of the hostages, including those in the U.S. and Israel, have been urging Netanyahu for months to negotiate a truce and free the hostages. This plea intensified after a cease-fire agreement fell apart in late summer, ultimately resulting in the death of American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and two other Israelis who were also on the list for release, along with three other hostages, by Hamas in August.

On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly mandated that Israel and Hamas come to a cease-fire agreement and release all captives.

The resolution, passed with 158 votes in favor of the 193-member body, calls for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire, to be respected by all parties, and further demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

While U.N. General Assembly resolutions are not legally enforceable, they carry weight as they reflect the global stance on a matter.

While 13 other nations abstained, nine countries, including the U.S. and Israel, voted against the resolution.

In his speech to the assembly after the vote, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood stated that the proposed resolution on a cease-fire in Gaza could send a harmful message to Hamas that they don't need to negotiate or release the hostages.

The Gaza resolution before us today does not advance a realistic diplomatic solution, but the United States will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution that brings peace, security, and freedom to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. However, now is the time to put more pressure on Hamas, he added.

According to Sullivan, Hamas' stance at the negotiation table has changed since the cease-fire in Lebanon was reached last month, indicating that the terrorist group can no longer depend on Hezbollah's support.

This week, the White House national security adviser will journey from Israel to Qatar and Egypt to meet with top officials and secure a cease-fire and the release of hostages.