By Andrew Mills and Nidal al-Mughrabi
DOHA/CAIRO (Reuters) – A Qatari mediator gave Israel and Hamas the final draft of an agreement to end the war in Gaza on Monday, after a “successful” night of talks attended by US President Donald Trump, an official said. negotiator told Reuters.
The official said the text of the ceasefire and the release of the hostages was highlighted in talks in Doha involving the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet of the Israeli intelligence agencies and the prime minister of Qatar and Steve Witkoff, who will be the US ambassador when Trump takes office. next week. Officials from the outgoing US administration are also expected to participate.
“The next 24 hours will be key to reaching an agreement,” the official said.
Israel's Kan radio, citing an Israeli official, reported on Monday that the delegations of Israel and Hamas in Qatar received the draft and that the Israeli delegation informed the leaders of Israel. Israel, Hamas and Qatar's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for confirmation or comment.
Officials on both sides, while standing by to ensure that the final draft was reached, reported progress in the talks.
A senior Israeli official said the deal could be sealed within days if Hamas responds to the proposal. A Palestinian official close to the talks said the information from Doha was “very promising”, adding: “The gaps have narrowed and there is a big push for an agreement if everything goes well until the end.”
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been working for more than a year on talks to end the war in Gaza, so far without fruit.
HELL TO PAY
Trump's January 20 inauguration is now widely seen in the region as a deadline. The president-elect said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas were released before he took office, while outgoing President Joe Biden also pushed hard for a deal before he left.
The official said the talks went into the early hours of Monday, with Witkoff pushing the Israeli delegation in Doha and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pushing Hamas officials to finalize the deal.
The head of Egypt's intelligence agency Hassan Mahmoud Rashad was also in the Qatari capital as part of the talks, the official said.
Trump's envoy Witkoff has made several trips to Qatar and Israel since late November. He was in Doha on Friday and traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday before returning to Doha.
Mr. Biden spoke on Sunday by phone with Netanyahu, stressing “the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages and forced humanitarian aid that has been suspended in the fighting under the agreement,” the White House said.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 people, according to the Israelis.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, most of the enclave was destroyed and gripped by civil unrest, and most of its residents were displaced.
Both sides have agreed for months on a general ceasefire in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, Hamas insisted that the agreement should lead to a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, while Israel said it will not end the war until Hamas is destroyed.
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the country's press secretary who opposed previous efforts to reach an agreement, criticized the latest proposals as a “surrender” and “a disaster for Israel's national security”.