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US-led mediators have handed over a final draft of a ceasefire proposal to Israel and Hamas after a “breakthrough” in talks to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages.
People familiar with the matter said it brings the warring parties the closest they have come to ending the 15-month conflict since at least July, when earlier efforts to reach a deal failed.
“The final agreement has now been approved by all parties,” a diplomat with knowledge of the talks in Doha said, adding that a “breakthrough” had been achieved around midnight on Monday. “The next 24 hours are critical to reaching an agreement.”
Previously, US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli spy chief David Baniya and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Lesani participated in a series of diplomatic activities.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying for months to broker a deal to end the conflict and secure the release of about 100 hostages held by Hamas in the besieged strip, more than a third of whom are believed to be Already dead.
But negotiations gained momentum after Trump was elected, with Trump repeatedly demanding the release of all hostages before taking office on January 20.
A person familiar with the latest negotiations said: “We have completed 98% of the negotiations.”
Mediators had previously expressed hope they could reach a deal, but their hopes were dashed when Israel and Hamas refused to make the necessary concessions to push for a deal.
But U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that “we are on the verge” of a hostage agreement where a ceasefire “has finally materialized.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said this was a “critical point in the negotiations”, adding: “We are close to a deal and we can get it done this week.”
Mediators must now await responses from the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leadership.
Senior Hamas officials said in a statement that their discussions with senior Turkish officials highlighted the Palestinian militant group’s “desire for a deal to stop the war in Gaza.”
Another person familiar with the negotiations said Israel was waiting for Hamas leadership to approve the latest proposal before the two sides “enter conclusion negotiations.”
The person added that Netanyahu’s change in stance is ultimately because ending the war has become Trump’s top priority. “The only difference is Trump. Netanyahu really wants to ally with Trump” and reach a deal.
Mediators have been seeking a multi-phase deal to end the conflict that erupted after Hamas militants rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Palestinian officials say Israel’s fierce retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people and turned much of the besieged area into wasteland.
Disagreement between the two sides includes where Israeli troops will redeploy, the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip, and how many and what categories of Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for hostages.
Israel has also asked Hamas to find out which hostages are still alive.
Hamas insists any deal ends with a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, but Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected this.
The latest talks are based on a multi-stage proposal that would lead to an initial six- to eight-week truce, during which some 34 hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, would be released.
In return, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli prisons.
Netanyahu is expected to face resistance from far-right allies in the ruling coalition who oppose an end to the war and the release of Palestinians convicted of terrorism. Analysts expect the prime minister to have the votes to approve the deal.
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gver and Bezalel Smotrich had previously threatened to overthrow Netanyahu’s government if a deal was finally reached.
Their opposition was seen as a decisive factor in derailing past rounds of negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter.
Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich said on Monday that the impending deal was a “disaster” and “capitulation”.
He urged Israel to “conquer and purify the entire Gaza Strip” and “open the gates of hell” in Gaza until Hamas surrenders and releases the hostages.
Netanyahu met with Bengvir and Smotrich on Sunday to try to persuade them not to leave the government over the ceasefire.
