A final draft deal has been presented to Israel and Hamas to end the ongoing war in Gaza. The draft, which includes provisions for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, was delivered by Qatar after a breakthrough in talks in Doha.
A final draft deal to end the war in Gaza was presented to Israel and Hamas on Monday, according to an official briefed on the negotiations. The draft, which includes provisions for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, was delivered by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha. The talks, which involved the chiefs of Israel ’s Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies and Qatar’s prime minister, also saw the participation of Steve Witkoff, who will become U.S. envoy when Trump returns to the U.S.
presidency next week, and outgoing Biden administration’s envoy Brett McGurk. A U.S. source confirmed McGurk’s attendance. The official described the draft as the outcome of a breakthrough reached in the early hours of Monday and emphasized that “The next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching the deal.”\While both sides have stopped short of confirming that a final draft has been reached, officials have described progress at the talks. A senior Israeli official said a deal could be sealed within a few days if Hamas replies to a proposal. A Palestinian official close to the talks said information from Doha was “very promising”, adding: “Gaps were being narrowed and there is a big push toward an agreement if all goes well to the end.” \The United States, Qatar and Egypt have worked for more than a year on talks to end the war in Gaza, so far fruitlessly. Both sides have agreed for months broadly on the principle of halting the fighting in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian detainees held by Israel. However, Hamas has always insisted that the deal must lead to a permanent end to the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel has said it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration is now widely seen in the region as a de facto deadline. The president-elect has said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office, while outgoing President Biden has also pushed hard for a deal before he leaves. \The official said talks went until the early hours of Monday, with Witkoff pushing the Israeli delegation in Doha and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pushing Hamas officials to finalize an agreement. The head of Egypt’s general intelligence agency Hassan Mahmoud Rashad was also in the Qatari capital as part of the talks, the official said. Trump envoy Witkoff has travelled to Qatar and Israel several times since late November. He was in Doha on Friday and travelled to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday before returning to Doha. Biden also spoke on Sunday by phone with Netanyahu, stressing “the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal,” the White House said.
GAZA WAR HOSTAGES CEASEFIRE ISRAEL HAMAS
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