According to NSA's Jake Sullivan, 'there could be a ceasefire tomorrow' if 'Hamas says yes to the deal'

Washington- National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday that “the time has come” to implement a ceasefire in the Gaza war, urging Hamas to accept a deal with Israel.

“There could be a ceasefire tomorrow, or even today, if Hamas said yes to the deal,” Sullivan said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”

Negotiators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt are working toward an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would end the war. Meanwhile, four Israelis hostages captured by Hamas were rescued by Israeli security forces during a raid in central Gaza on Saturday, accompanied by American support, mainly in the form of intelligence. And negotiations are underway for the release of the remaining hostages, including five American citizens.

Sullvan said the “most effective, safest and fairest way” to return all hostages is a “comprehensive ceasefire and hostage agreement” that President Biden has highlighted in recent days and which Israel accepted.

“If Hamas said yes to this deal, there would be a ceasefire, the hostages would return home, more humanitarian aid would flow and a better day for the Palestinian people would begin to dawn,” Sullivan said. . “So what we would like is for this agreement to be put in place, because it is the safest way to get the hostages home.”

But there have been accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes a deal, which Mr. Biden acknowledged in a recent interview with Time. When asked whether Netanyahu was prolonging the conflict for political purposes, the president replied that “there is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

The latest offer would involve the release of vulnerable hostages and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention centers, combined with a six-week cessation of violence and an influx of humanitarian aid.

Mr. Biden presented the proposal at the end of last month, which he said constitutes “a road map towards a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages”. More broadly, the proposal would have three phases, with later phases including negotiating a permanent end to hostilities and launching a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

Asked whether the raid that returned the four Israeli hostages could jeopardize the chances of a diplomatic deal, Sullivan said he could not predict Hamas' calculation, but insisted that “the whole world expects Hamas to say yes, because for all these “People, for all these months who have been demanding a ceasefire, this is the moment.” During the operation which led upon the return of the four hostages, the Hamas government media office in Gaza stated that 246 Palestinians had been killed and more than 400 injured.

“There is only one answer to all of this, and it is the answer that I keep coming back to, and that is a ceasefire and a hostage agreement that would end the suffering, end to the conflict, would end the war and bring all the hostages home,” Sullivan said. “So it is time for Hamas to come to the table, say yes, and end all the suffering that is currently taking place in Gaza.”

These developments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to speak at a joint meeting of Congress on July 24. Sullivan said he hoped that by the time that happened, a ceasefire and hostage deal would be in place.