Israeli officials tell media hostage deal is close, awaiting Hamas approval; coming days said to be ‘pivotal’

Israeli officials briefing news outlets say that there has been a breakthrough overnight, with a potential hostage-ceasefire deal apparently close if it is approved by Hamas.

The details of a potential hostage-ceasefire deal have been agreed upon, with mediators waiting for final approval from the Palestinian terror group, Channel 12 news reports.

The outlet says that the development is “dramatic” and that its reporting has been approved by the censor.

According to Channel 12, the proposal is similar to the three-stage deal that was discussed last May.

Talks have largely revolved around a proposed three-stage deal in which “humanitarian” cases, including women, children, men over 50 and the infirm would be released first. Then, on the 16th day of the ceasefire, talks will begin to secure the release of men of military age, followed by a third stage that would see discussions on the governance and reconstruction of the Strip.

An official involved in the negotiations in Doha tells Army Radio: “There is cautious progress; it seems the direction is positive.”

An Israeli official tells Channel 13 that “if Hamas responds soon, all the details can be finalized within days.”

The official adds that “Israel has come a long way” in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a deal, but officials say an agreement has not yet been reached.

Three officials acknowledge progress has been made and say the coming days will be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that was sparked by Hamas’s devastating attack on October 7, 2023. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.

One of the three officials and a Hamas official say there are still a number of hurdles to clear. On several occasions over the past year, US officials have said they were on the verge of reaching a deal, only to have the talks stall.

One person familiar with the talks says there was a breakthrough overnight and that there was a proposed deal on the table.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators will now take it back to their leaders for final approval, the person says.

The person says mediators from the Gulf country of 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. Witkoff recently joined the negotiations and has been in the region in the past several days.

The person says the mediators handed off the draft deal to each side and that the next 24 hours would be pivotal.

An Egyptian official says there had been good progress overnight but that it would likely take a few more days, and that the sides were aiming for a deal before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. A third official says the talks were in a good place but had not been wrapped up. That official also assessed that a deal was possible before the US presidential inauguration.

A Hamas official, however, 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 release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The official was not authorized to brief media and spoke anonymously.

The Egyptian official confirmed that those issues were still being discussed.

Source » timesofisrael.com