The Latest from the Middle East

Jonathan Savage of Fox News reports.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The progress in the Israel Hamas ceasefire and hostage negotiations. Jonathan,

(00:04):
good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yeah, good morning. This war has been going on for
fifteen months. We have had times when it appeared as
though a ceasefire deal was likely. But now officials from
Israel and Hamas, as well as mediators from the United States,
cut Out and Egypt, they say they believe an agreement
for the release of hostages and at least a truth

(00:27):
in Gaza is closer than ever. We're just waiting on
peers and tees to be crossed in ice to be dotted.
But of course there is the caveat that these are
two sides who are mortal enemies to distrust each other completely.
We've been close before, but there is a lot of
optimism this week.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
This would basically be a hostage exchange, right or hostages
for prisoners exchange.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, it's going to be quite a complex deal. There's
going to be multiple stages to it. In the first stage,
thirty three hostages would be released by her Math. That's
about a third of those who are being held still
in Gaza. The hostages would be released by her Mask.
In exchange, Israel would release Palestinian prisoners. That's over the

(01:13):
first six weeks, and Israeli troops would begin pulling out
of populated areas in Gaza. They go back to the
negotiating table, and if things are going well, the second
stage of the deal would see the remaining hostages released.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
You know the elephant in the room here that nobody's
discussing out loud, Jonathan, is that Donald Trump says, quote,
all hell will break out if the hostages aren't released
by the time I take office. Well, that's five days away.
Do you think that's a factor here?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
I think it has been a factor. Qatar is hosting
the mediations and they say that statements by Presidents elect
Trump and President Biden have been helpful in pushing the
talk forward. Also, Donald Trump has sent his envoy to
the Middle East, Steve Whitcock. His participation, we're told has
been crucial as well. The Kataris say the Biden administration

(02:07):
and the incoming Trump administration have been fully involved and
in fact are working in tandem to ensure that a
deal happens.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
You know the other thing that I've wondered about from
the beginning of this, as you say, fifteen months now, Jonathan,
is that what incentive does Hamas have to release all
the hostages, given the fact that Israel has said, we
will not rest until you are completely destroyed. If all
of the hostages are out, that gives us Israel karb

(02:35):
blauanche to go in and complete the job, right.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, I mean that's why they had hostages in the
first place, as a bargaining chip. The situation has changed
in the last fifteen months. Most of amasa's most senior
leaders are dead, killed by Israel, either in Gaza or
in the case of the political leader, assassinated while he
was visiting Iran. Gaza itself has been obliterated much of

(03:02):
the population, almost all the population forced from their homes.
Life is horrific for Palestinian people there. So the military
pressure on Hamas has been going on as well. Hamas
doesn't want this war to go on, and definitely they
probably see that they cannot win this war. It will
simply be a long, slow, grinding and painful conflict.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Secretary of State Blancan has said the ball is now
in Hamas's court. What, Jonathan, do you see as the
next hour or day that we should look at as
a possible breakthrough.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
I think we're waiting for Hamas to provide its official
response to the mediators. Hamas says it's waiting for Israel
to give them maps showing how that the Israeli forces
are going to withdraw from Gaza. So once Hamask gets that,
and if they're satisfied with them, they will tell the
mediators that they're happy to agree a deal. Now, this

(03:58):
could happen today, could happen tomorrow. We've got this kind
of the facto deadline of inauguration day that everyone is
working towards. The optimism is there, but of course, until
this deal is signed, nothing has been agreed.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Great information, Jonathan, thank you, thank you always good to
have you on. Jonathan Savage, Fox News Radio, reporting from
London this morning. So as one of the things we'll
keep an eye on today. Also, more hearings on Trump's
nominees as we get down to close to inauguration day
coming on Monday,