Qatar has submitted to Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas a “final” draft of a cease-fire and hostage release agreement aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip, an unnamed official familiar with the negotiations brokered by Qatar with the US and Egypt told Reuters on Monday. writes TASR.
The breakthrough in the negotiations, according to the source, occurred after midnight on Monday after talks between the heads of the Israeli intelligence services, the envoy of the newly elected US President Donald Trump for the Middle East and the Qatari prime minister.
According to the AP agency, the progress was also confirmed by other unnamed officials, who described the next few days as critical for the end of the more than 15-month war in the Gaza Strip. According to them, however, no agreement has yet been reached. One of the sources and a Hamas official say several hurdles still need to be overcome.
A draft agreement has been submitted to negotiators from Israel and Hamas, who will now forward it to their leadership for possible final approval. Qatari mediators have recently renewed pressure on Hamas to accept the deal, while Trump envoy Steven Witkoff, who has been in the region in recent days, has pressed Israel, one source said.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke on the phone on Sunday about trying to reach an agreement that would end the fighting and free the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Trying to reach a deal before Trump’s inauguration
According to an Egyptian official, the parties involved in the negotiations are trying to conclude an agreement before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Another official claims that the talks are on the right track, but they have not yet been concluded. He also estimated that the agreement could be concluded before the inauguration.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by an attack on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian commandos on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli data, the militants killed approximately 1,200 people in the south of Israel and took 251 others hostage to the Gaza Strip. Of these, 96 remain in the Palestinian enclave, and about a third are dead, according to Israel.
Israel’s retaliatory military operation has claimed more than 46,500 lives so far, according to Hamas-run authorities. In addition, Israeli airstrikes and intense bombardment have razed much of the Palestinian enclave and, according to the UN, most of the population there have been forced to flee their homes.
