ISRAEL – Israeli negotiators attending ceasefire and hostage release talks in Doha have expressed “cautious optimism,” even as some gaps between both sides persist, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. A high-level Israeli delegation, which includes Mossad director David Barnea, arrived in Doha, following clear signs of progress in the hostage and ceasefire negotiations. The areas where daylight remains between the two sides are the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border – and the presence of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza, as well as phrasing concerning the end of the war, according to the source. Israel has long demanded that its troops remain along the Philadelphi corridor, while Hamas insists that they withdraw. The disagreement over that narrow but strategic piece of land was a key reason for the collapse of previous talks in August last year.

Gaps also remain between the Hamas leadership in Gaza and the group’s leadership abroad, the source also explained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday, is facing pressure from both the current and incoming US administrations to reach a deal by January 20. Despite that pressure, the source said the decision to send the high-level delegation to talks in Doha was made because most parties involved in negotiations really want a deal, adding that conditions are ripe. “American pressure had little to do with it,” the source claimed. But pressure from the United States is clearly being felt inside the Israeli government, an Israeli official acknowledged to CNN on Saturday. The Israeli delegation also includes Nitzan Alon, the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) hostages unit and Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency. Negotiations have appeared deadlocked for months, despite the efforts of the outgoing US President Joe Biden. Trump, meanwhile, has warned that “all hell will break out” if the hostages are not released by his inauguration on January 20.(CNN)

Photo: Mossad director David Barnea has arrived in Doha, following clear signs of progress in the hostage and ceasefire negotiations. (Getty Images)