Israel, Hamas in agreement on basic framework of a deal, U.S. officials say

WASHINGTON — Israel and Hamas are in agreement on the basic framework of the three-phase deal as it was presented by President Joe Biden in late May, according to senior Biden administration officials.

Top administration officials, including Biden, have repeatedly expressed cautious optimism for weeks that a deal is close to being sealed. And families of American hostage families said that Biden and Netanyahu also left them with the sense during a White House meeting on Thursday that a deal could potentially arrive in the coming days.

But there are some serious sticking points between the two sides that still need to be resolved, the officials said.

Among the differences are Hamas’ demands that Israeli troops immediately leave the narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt known as the Philadelphi corridor, according to officials. Until May, Egypt had exercised full control of the roughly 9-mile strip.

Other kinks that still need to be worked out include differences on the number of Palestinian prisoners that would be released during the first phase and Israel’s push to establish a vetting system for displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza after a cease-fire is established, the officials said.

CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Rome on Sunday to meet with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials about the ongoing hostage and cease-fire negotiations, according to a U.S. official familiar with his travel plans.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss the CIA director’s travel plans and requested anonymity, said Burns would be meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad director David Barnea and Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel.

The meeting comes after Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and underscored to him that it was critical for Israel and Hamas to come to agreement that will release remaining hostages and the remains of those who died in captivity.

Separately, Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is expected to head back to the Mideast next week for talks with regional leaders about the effort to reach a hostage agreement.

In other developments:

— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with billionaire Elon Musk in Washington following his speech to the U.S. Congress. Writing on the social media platform X, Netanyahu said Friday he and Musk discussed Artificial Intelligence and “technological cooperation with Israel” during their meeting Wednesday. He posted a picture of the two men shaking hands.

— A Hamas leader in the occupied West Bank died in Israeli custody Thursday evening after a deterioration in his health, according to a Palestinian prisoners rights group. Sheikh Mustafa Abu Arra, 63, was arrested in October and was recently transferred from Ramon Prison to Soroka hospital where he died, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said.

— An Israeli court decided Friday to extend the ban on Al-Jazeera in Israel for over a month. With the decision, the state’s order to bar Al-Jazeera from operating in Israel is valid for another 45 days.

— The White House announced Friday that U.S. officials will halt the deportation of Lebanese citizens who have run afoul of immigration laws because of the ongoing conflict on Lebanon’s border with Israel.