Hamas okays truce draft, talks hint at culmination but Israel cautious

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said on Tuesday.

Negotiators were meeting in Qatar hoping to finalise a plan to end the war in Gaza. More than five hours after talks began there was still no word on an outcome.

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a news conference that the talks on the final details were underway and this was the closest point to a deal reached over the past months.

Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. An Israeli official said talks had reached a critical phase although some details needed to be hammered out: “We are close, we are not there yet.”

If successful, the phased ceasefire — capping over a year of start-and-stop talks — could halt fighting that decimated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, made most of the enclave’s population homeless.

Israel would recover hostages from among around 100 who still remain in captivity.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken an agreement was right on the brink, adding that parties are awaiting final word from Hamas. He laid out plans for the post-war management of Gaza, saying the outgoing Biden administration would hand over the roadmap to President-elect Donald Trump's. He added Israel would have to accept a united Gaza and West Bank under the leadership of a reformed Palestinian leadership.

If the deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed.