DUBAI: US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel on Thursday to discuss efforts to broker a Gaza prisoner swap and ceasefire deal, besides the situation in Syria following the regime change, according to the White House.

Sullivan will meet Israeli officials to discuss efforts to reach a prisoner release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, the latest developments in Syria, and for discussions about Lebanon and Iran, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.

The statement comes after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had become “more optimistic about a possible” deal in Gaza, amid reports that Hamas had asked for lists of Israeli prisoners in the Palestinian enclave.

He said indirect negotiations were under way about the return of about 100 prisoners and that, while it was still too early to be sure, prospects had improved.

Trump’s Mideast aide warns of consequences if prisoners not released before Jan 20

“We can be more optimistic than before but we are not there yet. I hope we will be there,” Saar told a press conference in Jerusalem, reiterating the stance that there would not be a ceasefire without a prisoners’ release deal.

A Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediation effort said Hamas had asked all groups in Gaza to start listing the names of all prisoners in their custody, whether alive or dead due to the Israeli bombardment that has continued for over 14 months.

Hamas officials, however, declined immediate comment.

Hamas took more than 250 prisoners in an attack on Israel-occupied territory on Oct 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed over 44,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

Each side accuses the other of standing in the way of a deal, but Saar said Hamas’ previous position “might have changed during recent times”. “So if both parties are interested in an agreement, there is a better chance it will be achieved,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across Gaza continued overnight and on Monday, medics said. One strike killed at least four people near Jabalia camp, they said.

In Rafah, rescuers recovered 11 bodies of Palestinians. An Israeli strike in Al-Maghazi killed four children, while a strike in Beit Lahiya killed six people.

Amid the ongoing Israeli strikes, President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy has warned it would “not be a pretty day” if the prisoners held in Gaza were not released before his inauguration.

Steve Witkoff, who will formally take up the position when Trump’s administration starts on Jan 20, said he hoped and prayed there would be a ceasefire in Gaza before Trump takes office.

“You heard what the president said, they better be released,” he said, referring to Trump. “Listen to what the president has got to say. It’s not a pretty day if they’re not released,” Witkoff added on the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi.

Trump said on social media last week there would be “hell to pay” if the prisoners were not released before his inauguration.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024