Gaza ceasefire talks in final stages, deal likely within hours

Negotiators were near to hammering out the final details of a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday (January 15) after marathon talks in Qatar, and the U.S. and Egyptian leaders promised to stay in close contact about a deal over the coming hours.

More than eight hours of talks in Doha had fuelled optimism. Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. as well as Israel and Hamas said an agreement for a truce in the besieged enclave and release of hostages was closer than ever, Reuters reported.

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari earlier told a news conference that both sides were presented with a text and talks on the last details were under way.

But a senior Hamas official said late on Tuesday that the Palestinian group had not delivered its response yet because it was still waiting for Israel to submit maps showing how its forces would withdraw from Gaza.

U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration has been taking part alongside an envoy of President-elect Donald Trump, said a deal was close after the war decimated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of people and triggered conflicts in the region.

Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi talked about progress in the negotiations on Tuesday.

“Both leaders committed to remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming hours,” the White House said in a statement after the leaders’ telephone call.
The two presidents “emphasized the urgent need for a deal to be implemented.”

Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal.

An Israeli official said talks had reached a critical phase although some details needed to be worked out: “We are close, we are not there yet.”

White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan said hopefully a Gaza hostage deal will be reached this week.

Visiting Rome, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday he believed a majority of Israel’s coalition government would support a Gaza deal if one is finally agreed, despite vocal opposition from hardline nationalist parties in the coalition.