ISRAEL – International mediators are making an urgent push for Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal next week after high-stakes negotiations in Qatar saw them put a fresh proposal to the warring parties. The “bridging proposal” presented on Friday was intended to close the remaining gaps of disagreement between both sides, a joint statement from the US, Qatar and Egypt said.

US President Joe Biden expressed optimism about the state of ceasefire and hostage release talks that are expected to resume in Cairo next week. “We are closer than we’ve ever been,” he said, adding that the talks had brought the chances of a deal “much, much closer than it was three days ago.”

But the Hamas leadership sees the new US proposal as responding and conforming to Israel’s conditions, a senior Hamas source privy to the details of the negotiations told CNN. The source accused Israel of adding new conditions in order to stall the agreement. Meanwhile, the Israeli negotiating delegation returned to Israel late Friday feeling cautiously optimistic about the prospects of reaching a deal, an Israeli source familiar with the talks said. “They narrowed the gaps,” the source said. “These were very productive and positive talks.”

The source, however, cautioned that the bridging proposal has yet to be submitted to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza — a process that is expected to occur this weekend. The two days of discussions took place amid tensions across the region about a potential Iranian attack against Israel, which carries the risk of scuppering already fragile negotiations. Biden on Friday also sent a warning message to Iran and Iranian-backed proxies that they should not take any actions “to undermine” the progress of the talks. The US president added that he is sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel this weekend to “reaffirm” the White House’s “iron-clad support for Israel’s security.” (CNN)…[+]