The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been working on a final proposal for a ceasefire and hostage return deal between Israel and Hamas, according to a report by The Washington Post on Monday overnight.
This proposal was reportedly being drafted before the tragic news of the murder of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, came to light. A source familiar with the negotiations told The Washington Post that the recent revelations "only add to the urgency of the matter. You can't negotiate forever."
For months, U.S. officials have been pushing for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. However, the situation took on a renewed sense of urgency after Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages on Sunday.
The Washington Post further reports that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are finalizing the details of one last proposal, which they plan to present to both Israel and Hamas as a "take it or leave it" offer.
An anonymous senior administration official suggested that if this final deal is not accepted by both sides, it could mark the end of the American-led negotiations. The Biden administration has acknowledged that it remains unclear whether the retrieval of the six hostages will make reaching an agreement more or less likely in the coming weeks.
“You can’t keep negotiating this. This process has to be called at some point,” said the senior official. The proposal had reportedly been in the works before the hostages were found dead in a tunnel in southern Gaza. “Does it derail the deal? No. If anything, it should add additional urgency in this closing phase, which we were already in.”
* The Jerusalem Post contributed to this article.