Close Agreement Between Israel and Hamas on Ceasefire Agreement, Qatar Says

Israel and Hamas are “on the brink” of agreeing to declare a cease-fire in Gaza and release hostages held there, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Tuesday, raising hopes for an end to the violence after more than 15 months. war.

“It’s on the edge, it’s closer than ever,” said Mr. Blinken at the Atlantic Council event in Washington. “But right now, as we sit here, we are waiting for the final word from Hamas on its acceptance. And until we get that voice, we’re going to stay on the edge. “

Neither Israeli nor Hamas officials have publicly confirmed where they stand on the ceasefire proposal, although Mr. Blinken suggested that Israel was present in this agreement and that its fate now rests with Hamas.

US officials have made optimistic statements about ceasefire talks in the past only for the talks to continue to spiral into recriminations.

But in recent weeks, officials familiar with the talks have expressed growing optimism about the deal.

Officials in the Israeli government and Hamas have suggested they are ready to move forward if the other side signs on. On Monday, a senior Hamas official said a deal was possible in the coming days as long as Israel did not change suddenly. On Tuesday, an Israeli official said Israel was ready to close the deal and was waiting for Hamas to make a decision.

Other officials also suggested that a looming deadline was helping close the gap: the end of President Biden’s term and the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Mediators “were able to reduce many of the differences between the two sides,” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. The talks focused on “the final details of reaching an agreement,” he said.

But negotiators, including Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and other officials have warned that even major progress could be lost at the last minute.

“We believe we are in the final stage, but until we have an announcement – there will be no announcement,” Mr al-Ansari said, adding that there was no immediate time to sign the agreement.

Mr. Trump has warned that there will be “hell to pay” unless the hostages are released during his presidency. Steve Witkoff, the Middle East ambassador-designate, has also traveled to Qatar and Israel, meeting with top officials there, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday. (Mr. Witkoff also chairs Mr. Trump’s committee, which is hosting next week’s event.)

If Hamas and Israel make an agreement, it will bring relief to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who have endured poor conditions in displacement camps and constant Israeli bombardment, as well as the families of Israeli hostages, who have been worried for more than a year. about the fate of their loved ones.

“I pray this time that the return will be a reality,” said Manar Silmi, 34, a psychiatrist with an international aid group, who hoped to return to the Gaza City home she fled at the start of the war. “We are extremely traumatized.”

A draft agreement has been sent to both parties, Mr al-Ansari said, adding that talks are now focused on the “remaining details” of how the agreement will be implemented.

In a statement, Hamas also said that the talks “have reached their final stage.” The leadership of the Palestinian armed group “hopes that this round of negotiations will end with a complete and clear agreement,” Hamas said.

Hamas officials negotiating in Doha must secure the approval of the remaining military commanders in Gaza on the emerging deal. Those commanders include Mohammad Sinwar, whose brother Yahya led the group before being killed by Israel in September. Communicating with them can be difficult, leading to delays.

It was not clear whether Mr. Has Sinwar conveyed his position to the Hamas leaders in Doha regarding the ceasefire proposal?

The draft of this agreement was heavily inspired by previous proposals that were discussed in May and July, said a politician familiar with the negotiations, who did not want to be named to discuss the intense negotiations. Those proposals detail a three-step ceasefire in which Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from Gaza, as Hamas releases hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

For more than a year, international efforts have failed to end the war that erupted in an attack led by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people in October 2023. Another 250 people were kidnapped in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

In response, Israel launched a military campaign against Hamas that destroyed large areas of the enclave and killed at least 45,000 people, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

About 105 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023, the bodies of some were recovered by Israeli forces, and a few were rescued alive. About 98 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, about 36 of whom are presumed dead by Israeli authorities.

In the first phase of the proposed ceasefire – which will last about six weeks – Hamas will release 33 hostages, most of whom Israel believes are alive, said an Israeli official, who asked not to be named to discuss the sensitive negotiations. Israel is willing to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange, the official said, but the number depends on how many hostages are still alive.

Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri, 19, was abducted from the military base where she worked during the Hamas-led attack, met with Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday evening along with other relatives of the hostages.

Mr. Netanyahu expressed his hope, said Mr. Albag. But she said she still finds it hard to imagine what it would be like to welcome her daughter home.

“We want to see the agreement signed first,” he said. “After that, we will make room for other thoughts.”

Despite intense public pressure in Israel to reach a deal to release the hostages, many Israelis fear that a ceasefire will leave Hamas in control of Gaza, allowing its fighters to unite and plan more street attacks.

Two partners with Mr. Netanyahu hardliners – Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich – have already criticized the proposed deal as effectively surrendering to Hamas. The two opposition parties could threaten Mr Netanyahu’s government if he withdraws from his coalition in protest.

It is possible that the deal will go ahead, as the opposition in the Israeli parliament is very committed to giving Mr. Netanyahu has a safety net to ensure a cease-fire and hostage-taking agreement. But it is unclear how long that will take, as it will leave Mr Netanyahu’s political future dependent on rivals who have vowed to oust him.

In Gaza, Montaser Bahja, an English teacher who was expelled from Gaza City, said that the Palestinian people are starting to hope for an agreement after more than a year of hunger and poverty.

But even though both sides have announced a ceasefire, many Gazans fear their uncertain post-war future, Mr. They went. And even if the Hamas deal ensured the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, few would see that as a success given the level of death and damage in Gaza, he added.

“Everything is up in the air,” he said. “Right now, people want it to end.”