DOHA/CAIRO: Negotiators will meet in Doha on Tuesday seeking to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza after U.S. President Joe Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition.
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing U.S. president and President-elect Donald Trump.
In a speech on Monday, President Biden outlined a deal aimed at achieving several key outcomes, “freeing hostages, halting the ongoing fighting, ensuring security for Israel, and significantly increasing humanitarian aid to Palestinians affected by the conflict. The deal is seen as a step towards addressing both immediate humanitarian needs and broader security concerns in the region”.
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.
The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be identified, said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha.
“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 told reporters on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, the ball was in Hamas’ court. Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal.
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 told reporters: “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 negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official said.
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.
