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US-led mediators have sent the final version of a ceasefire proposal to Israel and Hamas after a ‘breakthrough’ in negotiations on a deal to end the war in Gaza and guarantee the release of the hostages.
People familiar with the matter said the warring sides have been as close as possible to an end to the 15-month conflict since at least July, when earlier efforts to reach an agreement failed.
“The final agreement is now subject to approval by all parties,” said a diplomat briefed on the negotiations in Doha, adding that a “breakthrough” was achieved around midnight on Monday. “The next 24 hours will be crucial to reaching an agreement.”
It follows a flurry of diplomacy involving US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been struggling for months to reach an agreement to end the conflict and secure the release of around 100 hostages held by Hamas in the besieged strip, including more than ‘a third would no longer be alive.
But negotiations gained momentum after the election of Trump, who repeatedly demanded that all hostages be released before his Jan. 20 inauguration. He warned that otherwise there would be “hell to pay”.
A person familiar with the latest negotiations said: “We are 98 percent close. »
Mediators had previously expressed hope of reaching an agreement, but those hopes were dashed by the refusal of Israel and Hamas to make the necessary concessions to get a deal across the finish line.
But US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday: “We are now at a pivotal point in the negotiations. We are close to an agreement and it can be done this week. . . It is there and we will work to make it happen. »
The mediators must now await responses from the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders.
In a statement, senior Hamas officials said they had stressed the Palestinian militant group’s “desire to reach an agreement to stop the war in Gaza” in discussions with a senior Turkish official.
A second person close to the talks said Israel was waiting for Hamas leaders to approve the latest proposal, before the parties “initiate the closure of negotiations.”
Netanyahu’s change in position was because ending the war had become a priority for Trump, the person added, saying “the only difference is Trump.” Netanyahu wants to align with Trump” and reach an agreement.
Mediators sought to broker a multi-phase deal to end the conflict that erupted after Hamas militants rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Israel’s thunderous retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, Palestinian officials said, and reduced much of the besieged strip to a wasteland.
Disagreements between the two parties include the location of the redeployment of Israeli troops, the return of displaced Palestinians to the north of the Gaza Strip and the number and category of Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for hostages.
Israel also demanded that Hamas identify the hostages still alive.
Hamas has insisted that any agreement would result in a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, something Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.
The latest talks are based on a multi-phase proposal, which would lead to an initial truce of six to eight weeks, during which around 34 hostages, including women, the elderly and the injured, would be released.
In exchange, several hundred Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons.
Netanyahu is expected to face resistance from far-right allies in his ruling coalition who are opposed to ending the war and releasing Palestinians convicted of terrorist offenses. Analysts expect the prime minister to have the votes needed to approve a deal.
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have already threatened to overthrow Netanyahu’s government if a deal is finalized.
Their opposition would have played a decisive role in the failure of previous negotiations, according to sources close to the matter.
Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, said Monday that an imminent deal was a “catastrophe” and a “capitulation.”
He urged Israel to “conquer and cleanse the entire strip” and “open the gates of hell on Gaza” until Hamas capitulated and released the hostages.
Netanyahu met with Ben-Gvir and Smotrich on Sunday in a bid to persuade them not to leave the government over a ceasefire deal.
