Close Agreement Between Israel and Hamas on Ceasefire Agreement, Qatar Says

Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement to declare a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages held there, the government of Qatar, a key broker in the talks, said on Tuesday, raising hopes after more than 15 months of ceasefire. to fight.

The latest round of talks follows repeated attempts to reach a breakthrough. But in recent weeks, officials familiar with the negotiations have expressed hope that a looming deadline is helping close the gap: the end of President Joe Biden’s term and the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump.

The mediators “were able to reduce many of the tensions between the two sides,” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters. The talks on Tuesday focused on “the final details of reaching an agreement,” he said.

Officials in the Israeli government and Hamas have suggested they are ready to move forward if the other side signs on. On Monday, a senior Hamas official said a deal was possible in the coming days as long as Israel did not change suddenly. On Tuesday, an Israeli official said Israel was ready to close the deal and was waiting for Hamas to make a decision.

But negotiators, including Egypt and the United States, and other officials have warned that even major progress could be lost at the last minute. Each of the previous rounds of negotiations over the past few months ended up breaking the law in retaliation.

“We believe we are in the final stage, but until we have an announcement – there will be no announcement,” Mr al-Ansari said, adding that there was no immediate time to sign the agreement.

Mr. Trump has warned that there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY” unless the hostages are released when he becomes president. Biden administration officials have been looking for a deal that will be part of the outgoing president’s legacy.

If Hamas and Israel make an agreement, it will bring relief to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who have endured poor conditions in displacement camps and constant Israeli bombardment, as well as the families of Israeli hostages, who have been worried for more than a year. about the fate of their loved ones.

A draft agreement has been sent to both sides, said Mr al-Ansari, who said the talks are now focused on “unclear details” about how the agreement will be implemented.

In a statement, Hamas also said that the talks “have reached their final stage.” The leadership of the Palestinian armed group “hopes that this round of negotiations will end with a complete and clear agreement,” Hamas said.

Hamas officials negotiating in Doha must secure the approval of the remaining military commanders in Gaza on the emerging deal. Those commanders include Mohammad Sinwar, whose brother Yahya led the group before being killed by Israel in September. Communicating with them can be difficult, leading to delays.

It was not clear whether Mr. Has Sinwar communicated to the leaders of Hamas in Doha whether he is on board with this proposed agreement.

The draft of the agreement was largely inspired by earlier proposals discussed in May and July, said a senior official familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the intense negotiations. Those proposals detail a three-step ceasefire in which Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from Gaza, as Hamas releases hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

For more than a year, international efforts have failed to end the war, which was triggered by an attack led by Hamas in October 2023 that killed around 1,200 people. Another 250 were abducted to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. In response, Israel launched a military campaign against Hamas that destroyed large areas of the enclave and killed at least 45,000 people, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

About 105 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023, the bodies of some were recovered by Israeli forces, and a few were rescued alive. About 98 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, about 36 of whom are presumed dead by Israeli authorities.

In the first phase of the ceasefire – which will last about six weeks – Hamas will release 33 hostages, most of whom Israel believes are alive, said an Israeli official, who asked not to be identified to discuss the sensitive negotiations. Israel is willing to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange, the official said, but the number depends on how many hostages are still alive.

Nevertheless, the Israeli official said that Israel and Hamas were very close to reaching an agreement. That hope was echoed by Mr. Biden in a speech on Monday announced that the cease-fire and hostage-taking agreement was “on the brink” of being “finally accomplished.”

William J. Burns, the director of the CIA, and Brett McGurk, the White House chief of staff, toured the Middle East, pressing for progress in the talks. Steve Witkoff, nominated by Mr. Trump, in his role as ambassador to the Middle East, has also traveled to Qatar and Israel, meeting with senior officials there, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Saturday.

But despite intense public pressure in Israel to reach a deal to release the hostages, many Israelis fear that the ceasefire will leave Hamas in control of Gaza, allowing its fighters to eventually unite and plan more attacks for months or years down the line. the road.

Two partners with Mr. Netanyahu hardliners – Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have already criticized the proposed deal as effectively surrendering to Hamas. The two opposition parties could threaten Mr Netanyahu’s government if he withdraws from his coalition in protest.

It is possible that the deal will go ahead, as the opposition in the Israeli parliament is very committed to giving Mr. Netanyahu has a safety net to ensure a cease-fire and hostage-taking agreement. But it is unclear how long that will take, as it will leave Mr Netanyahu’s political future dependent on rivals who have vowed to oust him.

In Gaza, Montaser Bahja, an English teacher who was expelled from Gaza City, said that the Palestinian people are beginning to hope that an agreement may be close after more than a year of hunger and deprivation.

But even if both sides announced a ceasefire, many Gazans feared a post-war future that was far from certain, Mr. They went. And even if the Hamas deal ensured the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, few would see it as a success given the level of death and damage in Gaza, he added.

“Everything is up in the air,” he said. “For now, people want it to end.”