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Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Gaza Photo: AP Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Gaza Photo: AP
US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a deal hasn't been reached yet, officials said on Monday.
Four officials acknowledged that progress has been made and said the coming days would be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that has destabilised the Middle East.
new online slotsA US official briefed on the negotiations said all sides are "closer than we've ever been but it could still fall apart".
Two other officials, including one associated with Hamas, said there were still a number of hurdles. On several occasions over the past year, US leaders have said they were on the verge of reaching a deal, only to have talks stall.
Another person familiar with the talks said there had been a breakthrough overnight and there was a proposed deal on the table. Israeli and Hamas negotiators will take it to their leaders for final approval, the person said.
The person said mediators from Qatar had put renewed pressure on Hamas to accept the agreement, while US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, was pressing the Israelis.
The person said the mediators had handed the draft deal to each side and the next 24 hours would be pivotal.
An Egyptian official said there had been good progress overnight but it would likely take a few more days, and the sides were aiming for a deal before Trump's inauguration on January 20.
A Hamas official said a number of contentious issues still need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
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The Qatari palace said the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met with Hamas' delegation in Doha as well as with Witkoff and Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser. Al Thani also spoke by phone with Biden, who stressed the urgent need for a deal.
The Biden administration, along with Egypt and Qatar, has spent more than a year trying to broker an agreement to end the deadliest war ever fought between Israelis and Palestinians and secure the release of scores of hostages captured in Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the conflict.
But the sides have been divided over the details of the planned exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as well as the nature of the ceasefire itself. Hamas has said it won't release the remaining captives without an end to the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the campaign until "total victory" over the militant group.
Under discussion now is a phased ceasefire. Netanyahu has repeatedly signalled he is committed only to the first phase, a partial hostage release in exchange for a weekslong halt in fighting. The possibility of a lasting ceasefire and other issues would be negotiated after the first phase begins. Hamas has demanded a full withdrawal and complete end to the war, and is hoping this first phase will lead to that outcome.
A deal could weaken Netanyahu's coalition, which includes two far-right factions that have threatened to leave the government if Israel makes too many concessions.
Ten hardline members of Israel's parliament sent a letter to Netanyahu expressing their opposition to a deal that does not allow Israeli soldiers to maintain a presence in strategic parts of the Gaza Strip, which previously has been a non-starter for Hamas.
Netanyahu is hoping the prospect of a Trump administration -- which includes allies of the West Bank settler movement -- will persuade his partners to remain in the government.
Biden, who hopes to wrap up a deal before leaving office next week, spoke with Netanyahu about the talks on Sunday.
Just one brief ceasefire has been achieved during the war, and that was in the earliest weeks of fighting.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza have been pressing Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
In Gaza, Palestinians hope for a stop to Israel's military campaign, which has devastated much of the territory and driven around 90 per cent of its 2.3 million people from their homes.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, according to the territory's Health Ministry, whose count doesn't give a breakdown between fighters and civilians. Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others in the attack that ignited the war.
In Jerusalem, around 1,000 people blocked the main entrance to the city and demonstrated against a deal.
In Tel Aviv, dozens of supporters of the hostages spelled out "HOME!" at the entrance to the city's main military base.
"We're not getting any guidance yet from the government of Israel," said Ruby Chen, whose son, Israeli-American Itay Chen, was taken hostage from his military base. Israel determined that Chen was likely killed on October 7, 2023, and his body is still in Gaza.
Inside Gazanuebe gaming, "we hear that there are negotiations every day, but we see nothing", said Mazen Hammad, a resident of the southern city of Khan Younis. "When we see it on the ground, then we believe that there is a truce."
