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A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza and release the remaining Israeli hostages is close to being finalised, according to US officials.
“We’re on the brink of a proposal that was laid out in detail months ago, finally coming to fruition,” US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday.
“The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” he said.
It follows reports that — attended by the warring parties, regional mediators, and envoys from the current and incoming US administrations — have reached a “breakthrough” point, with a final draft of an agreement now under consideration.
If successful, the deal could bring an end to the conflict, which has killed more than 46,500 people in the last 14 months alone, according to the health ministry in Gaza, and displaced 90 per cent of the strip’s population.
An Israeli official said 33 Israeli hostages could also be released as part of the truce, all of whom were taken during on 7 October 2023. The assault — which led to an escalation in a long-standing conflict — resulted in more than 1,200 people being killed and over 200 hostages taken.
A fresh round of talks is expected to take place on Tuesday to finalise the remaining details of the agreement.
Biden’s optimism that a ceasefire is imminent has been echoed by senior White House officials.
“I think there is a good chance we can close this,” National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
At the same time, US secretary of state Antony Blinken described the parties involved as being “closer than we’ve ever been” to a deal, adding the ball was in Hamas’ court.
“We are very hopeful that we get it over the finish line, finally, after all this time,” he told MSNBC.
Israel and Hamas sources have confirmed to various news outlets that there has been progress towards an agreement while stopping short of saying that a final draft has been reached.
“The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official told Reuters news agency.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar 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.”
Who is involved in the talks?
For more than a year, the US, Qatar and Egypt have held peace talks aiming to end the war in Gaza.
The Qataris and the Egyptians — represented by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, Major General Hassan Rashad — have been the lead mediators, often passing messages back and forth between Israel and Hamas officials.
The chiefs of Israel’s Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies — David Barnea and Ronen Bar — have served as some of its main negotiators. While Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official based in Doha, has represented the militant group.
On the US side, Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns has been a key player alongside Biden’s Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk.
President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has also recently travelled to Qatar and Israel to meet with top officials and has been involved in the latest round of talks.
What’s being discussed and what are the roadblocks?
On the Israeli side — securing the release of as many of the roughly 100 hostages that have been held in Gaza since October 7 is key.
For the leaders of Hamas, an end to the Israeli assault, which has decimated the Gaza Strip and weakened the group’s armed wing and government, is the primary goal.
According to numerous reports, one of the major sticking points in the agreement is the permanency of a ceasefire.
While Hamas is demanding an end to the war, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he favours a “partial” truce — which would allow Israel to resume its military operations in Gaza after its hostages are freed.
A Palestinian familiar with the matter and two Israeli officials told the New York Times Israel has been asking for the language in the agreement to be deliberately vague to leave room for some resumption of fighting.
Several analysts have pointed to pressure Netanyahu is facing from his right-wing coalition partners in government as a possible reason for the demand.
Hamas has publicly suggested, though, that there must be an “absolute end” to the fighting before it will commit to a deal.
— With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.
