Decoded: The Secret Negotiations behind the Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal
Following the harrowing hostage situation that unfolded during the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, the White House received a critical request from the government of Qatar. Qatar approached the U.S. with a plea to form a discreet team of advisers who could assist in securing the release of the captives. This marked the beginning of a covert operation that involved intense negotiations and personal involvement from U.S. President Joe Biden.
The joint efforts of Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Hamas, and the United States culminated in a prisoner swap agreement, resulting in the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. The negotiations involved key figures such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CIA Director Bill Burns, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, deputy Jon Finer, and U.S. Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, among others. Two officials closely involved in the process have revealed the intricate details of the behind-the-scenes work leading up to the agreement.
Soon after the October 7 incident, Qatar, renowned for its mediation efforts in the region, approached the White House with sensitive information about the hostages and their potential release. In response, the U.S. formed a small, discreet team, referred to as a cell, to address the issue in close collaboration with the Israelis. Led by Brett McGurk, a seasoned diplomat with significant Middle East experience, the team engaged in daily communication with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. McGurk kept National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan informed, and President Biden received regular briefings on the progress.
President Biden personally witnessed the impact of the Hamas attack when he met with the families of the American hostages on October 13. Deeply moved by their plight, he made the release of the hostages a central focus during his subsequent talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet in Tel Aviv on October 18. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of providing humanitarian assistance. Five days later, the team’s efforts paid off when two American hostages, Natalie and Judith Raanan, were freed from captivity.
From their office outside Jake Sullivan’s West Wing, McGurk, Sullivan, and Finer closely monitored the hostages’ challenging journey out of Gaza in real-time. The successful release of the two Americans boosted President Biden’s confidence in the effectiveness of the team and Qatar’s role in the negotiations.
With this momentum, the team intensified their efforts to secure the release of more hostages. CIA Director Bill Burns began regular discussions with Mossad director David Barnea, recognizing an opportunity to free a significant number of hostages. A prisoner swap deal became the only viable option to achieve a temporary cessation of hostilities, and both the U.S. and Israel maintained that the ground invasion should be postponed.
However, there was a discrepancy in perspectives between the two sides. While the Israelis insisted that the terms were uncertain and lacked proof of life for the hostages, Hamas claimed they could only identify the hostages once the fighting ceased. The American and Israeli officials viewed Hamas’s position as disingenuous, but Israel adapted its invasion plan to support a potential pause if an agreement materialized.
Over the next three weeks, President Biden engaged in detailed discussions and negotiations, exchanging proposals about potential hostage releases. Hamas was asked to provide lists and identifying information for the hostages, as well as guarantees of their release. Communication was challenging, often requiring messages to be relayed between Doha, Cairo, and Gaza, adding to the complexity of the process.
On October 24, as Israel prepared to launch a ground offensive in Gaza, U.S. officials received information that Hamas had agreed to the parameters of a deal for releasing women and children. This offered an opportunity to delay the ground invasion, but Israeli representatives argued that the terms were not firm enough without proof of life. However, with the information provided by Hamas, President Biden urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept the deal, which he eventually did after a conversation with McGurk in Israel.
With President Biden attending an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco, he called Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, emphasizing that this was the final opportunity to close the deal. The Emir assured his commitment to applying pressure to finalize the agreement.
In a crucial meeting in Doha on November 18, McGurk and Burns, joined by Mossad representatives, identified the remaining gaps in the deal. The agreement would initially focus on freeing women and children hostages, with the expectation of future releases to reunite all hostages with their families. Following discussions with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamil in Cairo, it was confirmed that Hamas leaders had accepted almost all the agreements made the previous day in Doha.
The only remaining issue concerned the number of hostages to be released in the first phase and the structure of the deal to incentivize further releases beyond the known 50 women and children hostages. Additional contacts were made, and eventually, the deal came together.
In conclusion, the negotiations behind the Israel-Hamas hostage deal were marked by secrecy, intensive communication, and the personal involvement of President Biden. The painstaking efforts of the U.S. team, along with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt, led to the successful release of hostages and paved the way for a temporary pause in the fighting. This covert diplomatic operation serves as a testament to the power of diplomacy and negotiations in resolving complex conflicts.
