Israel, Hamas inch closer to Gaza ceasefire deal after ‘breakthrough’ in Doha

Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire deal, the Associated Press quoted officials as saying on Monday. However, a deal hasn’t been reached yet, and there are a number of obstacles that could still hamper the talks in Qatar.

Negotiators are set to meet in Doha on Tuesday, seeking to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza. Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition.

Officials told Reuters that mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing US president and President-elect Donald Trump.

Israel-Hamas deal: What to expect?

“The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Biden said in a speech on Monday to highlight his foreign policy achievements.

If successful, the ceasefire deal would cap over a year of start-and-stop talks and lead to the biggest release of Israeli hostages since the early days of the conflict, when Hamas freed about half of its prisoners in exchange for 240 Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

Israel-Hamas’ ‘phased’ deal: What’s included, what’s not

An Israeli official who briefed reporters on the proposed deal said its first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick.

On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and men of military age – would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.

The deal would see a phased troop withdrawal, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages. There would be security arrangements in the Philadelphi corridor, along the southern edge of Gaza, with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.

Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

The Israeli official said Palestinian militants convicted of murder or deadly attacks would also be released, but numbers would depend on the number of live hostages, which was still unknown, and they would not include fighters who took part in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Israel, Hamas to ‘close’ deal?

“I think there is a good chance we can close this … the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal,” Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Monday.

The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be identified, said Qatar presented the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages to both sides at talks in Doha.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas’ court. He is due to present a post-war plan for Gaza on Tuesday in a speech at the Atlantic Council, Axios reported.

What Israel and Hamas said on the deal?

Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal to end the fighting, which upended the Middle East. “The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official said, quoted by AP.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the deal. Ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, “There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”

The Gaza war

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

Deadline for Gaza deal?

US President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office, AP reported.

Blinken said negotiators wanted to ensure Trump would continue to back the deal on the table, so Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s attendance at the ceasefire talks, along with Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk, has been “critical.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire deal, the Associated Press quoted officials as saying on Monday. However, a deal hasn’t been reached yet, and there are a number of obstacles that could still hamper the talks in Qatar.

Negotiators are set to meet in Doha on Tuesday, seeking to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza. Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition.

Officials told Reuters that mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing US president and President-elect Donald Trump.

Israel-Hamas deal: What to expect?

“The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Biden said in a speech on Monday to highlight his foreign policy achievements.

If successful, the ceasefire deal would cap over a year of start-and-stop talks and lead to the biggest release of Israeli hostages since the early days of the conflict, when Hamas freed about half of its prisoners in exchange for 240 Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

Israel-Hamas’ ‘phased’ deal: What’s included, what’s not

An Israeli official who briefed reporters on the proposed deal said its first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick.

On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and men of military age – would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.

The deal would see a phased troop withdrawal, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages. There would be security arrangements in the Philadelphi corridor, along the southern edge of Gaza, with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.

Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

The Israeli official said Palestinian militants convicted of murder or deadly attacks would also be released, but numbers would depend on the number of live hostages, which was still unknown, and they would not include fighters who took part in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Israel, Hamas to ‘close’ deal?

“I think there is a good chance we can close this … the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal,” Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Monday.

The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be identified, said Qatar presented the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages to both sides at talks in Doha.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas’ court. He is due to present a post-war plan for Gaza on Tuesday in a speech at the Atlantic Council, Axios reported.

What Israel and Hamas said on the deal?

Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal to end the fighting, which upended the Middle East. “The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official said, quoted by AP.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the deal. Ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, “There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”

The Gaza war

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

Deadline for Gaza deal?

US President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office, AP reported.

Blinken said negotiators wanted to ensure Trump would continue to back the deal on the table, so Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s attendance at the ceasefire talks, along with Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk, has been “critical.”

(With inputs from agencies)