A U.S. official told AFP on Wednesday that the negotiations are in their “closing stages”, with Netanyahu and Biden expected to discuss some “final gaps” during their meeting in Washington on Thursday.

The arrival of an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in Doha on Thursday has been reportedly postponed until early next week, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, DC.

A source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told AFP on Wednesday about the postponement, without disclosing the reason behind it. 

The source noted that the delegation were expected to discuss new Israeli demands for a deal including the control over the return of internally displaced civilians to northern Gaza, which was one of the key issues raised throughout the talks.

Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu’s office said he decided to send a negotiation team on Thursday, without disclosing the talks’ location. The decision came after “an in-depth discussion” that he held “with the hostage negotiation team and senior security establishment officials.”

A source had told Al-Araby TV on Tuesday that an Israeli security delegation, including representatives from Mossad, will head to Egypt on Wednesday.

The talks also come after numerous rounds of negotiations that took place both in Qatar and Egypt over the past couple of weeks after Hamas sent the mediators an amended proposal on July 3. 

The discussions have centered on a three-phase deal that would see the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli captives, withdrawal of Israeli forces while paving the way for a complete ceasefire in Gaza.

Netanyahu has maintained his rejection of a complete ceasefire and Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza until he “eliminates” Hamas, an objective that many analysts say is not realistic. 

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled since the expiration of last year’s week-long truce, mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

The truce resulted in the release of 109 Israeli captives out of 251 held by Hamas and 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, some of whom have since been re-arrested by Israeli forces. 

There are some 120 captives still in the Gaza Strip, with a third believed to be dead. The brutal Israeli war, also known as a genocide, has neared its 10-month mark, with more than 39,000 Palestinians killed whom are mainly women and children.

On Wednesday, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

According to a statement by Qatar’s foreign ministry, the conversation focused on “the latest developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, along with the joint mediation efforts to end the war on the Strip”.

Talks in “closing stages”

Meanwhile, a U.S. official told AFP on Wednesday that the negotiations are in their “closing stages”, with Netanyahu and Biden expected to discuss some “final gaps” during their meeting in Washington on Thursday.

“We believe it’s in the closing stages and a deal is closeable,” the U.S. official, who asked to remain anonymous, said in a call with reporters, noting that there would be a “lot of activity in the coming week” to reach a deal.

The official added that an agreement was “not only possible, it’s essential and necessary”.

Reuters separately reported that the official said the deal would reach a six-week ceasefire for the release of women, elderly men and wounded captives over a 42-day period.

“It’s a very different negotiation now than just a month ago when we had some fundamentally unbridgeable issues,” the official said, as quoted by Reuters.

Netanyahu will separately meet Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, which will be followed with a separate meeting with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago on Friday.

An aide to Harris had said on Monday that she will likely focus on the civilian toll from the war in Gaza while maintaining her staunch support for Israel. 

Netanyahu addresses congress

The meetings are taking place after Netanyahu addressed Congress on Wednesday, where he vowed “total victory” while accusing Hamas of obstructing ceasefire efforts.

“The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” he claimed.

While Netanyahu received a warm welcome from U.S. officials, thousands of anti-Israel protesters flooded Washington between Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Some protesters wore red T-shirts with the slogan “Not In Our Name” while chanting “Let Gaza Live!” while others raised graphic images of Palestinians killed by Israel.

Capitol police deployed pepper spray on the crowd, accusing them of failing “to obey” its order to move away from the police line.

Hamas later responded to Netanyahu’s speech in a statement, where it said arresting him as a war criminal should have been Washington’s priority instead of inviting him to Congress.

“At a time when the prime minister of the terrorist occupation government is leading a brutal war aimed at exterminating our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip[…]the U.S. Congress hosts a speech from war criminal Netanyahu, in which he repeats the degrading propaganda and lies that he spread more than nine months ago, which were proven false,” Hamas said.

The movement said Netanyahu was the one who prevented “all efforts aimed at ending the war” and ensuring the release of captives “despite the continuous efforts of mediators” from Qatar and Egypt.