OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)
The chances of a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month are getting slimmer by the day, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.
The officials added that if an agreement has not been reached by the time Trump takes office on Jan. 20, the presidential transition could set back negotiations by months, further jeopardizing the lives of the hostages remaining in Gaza and the population of the enclave.
Trump has vowed that there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages are not freed by his inauguration, but a source close to the incoming president said a plan does not exist on how to respond if the deadline in fact passes, the report said.
An Israeli official said without a pact, Trump would back Israeli government measures like restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza, something the Biden administration has opposed.
About 100 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, including seven Americans, since the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion. About half of them are believed to still be alive.
Israeli negotiators left Doha earlier this week after eight days of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt without an agreement.
CIA Director Bill Burns and White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk, who took part in the talks, returned to Washington and remain skeptical that negotiations will bear fruit before Jan. 20.
Israel and Hamas continue to blame each other for the lack of progress.
