A ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is the “closest” yet, Qatar says, raising hopes that a deal to end the devastating 15-month conflict is on the horizon. Qatar said.
Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majid Al-Ansari told a news conference in Doha on Tuesday that negotiations to end the conflict were in the final stages.
Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has been trying to broker a deal for months.
“The draft agreement has been handed over to both Hamas and Israel, and the main hurdles regarding the main points of contention between the two countries have been resolved,” al-Ansari said.
“Current discussions in Doha are focused on finalizing the remaining details,” he continued. “Today, we are the closest we have ever been to an agreement.”
The spokesperson predicted that implementation of the ceasefire agreement would take place “soon after the agreement is signed.”
“We (Qatar) are confident that through negotiations and our partners in Egypt and the United States, we were able to minimize many of the differences between the parties,” Al-Ansari added.
However, he cautioned against getting expectations too high until an official announcement is made.
“I’m sure we’re in the development stages, I’m sure we’re in the final stages, but obviously there’s no announcement until there’s an announcement,” he said.
“So we shouldn’t get too excited about what’s happening right now. But certainly, we have hope.”
Al Jazeera’s Hamda Sarhat reports from Amman, Jordan that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss the deal, which is currently on the table as the Palestinian Authority (PA) bans Al Al. Therefore, an emergency top-level security consultation was scheduled to be held on Tuesday night. Jazeera ceases operations in the occupied West Bank.
“Recalling that Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated for more than a year that he wants to return to combat, even if a cessation of fighting is secured, to achieve all the military objectives he set out after the start of the war in Gaza. I want it,” she said.
“Therefore, it remains unclear whether this ceasefire agreement will be a final end to the war or merely a temporary halt to fighting.”
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been working for the past year to broker an end to the war and secure the release of dozens of prisoners captured in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. About 100 Israelis remain detained in Gaza. But the Israeli military believes at least a third have died.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed more than 46,000 people and injured nearly 110,000 others.
Dozens more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Tuesday, with medical officials telling Al Jazeera that at least 38 people, including two children, had been killed since dawn.
Transaction details
According to details leaked by Israeli media, the signed ceasefire agreement will be implemented in three stages.
The first step will see the release of 33 Israeli prisoners held in Gaza. Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners for each freed female soldier, and 30 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining civilians held captive.
The second phase will begin in 16 days and will focus on negotiations for the release of the remaining prisoners. The final stage will address long-term arrangements such as establishing an alternative government and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
The report also said that Israel would completely withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor (the strip of land between Gaza and the Egyptian border) at the end of the first phase of the deal.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization also sent a delegation to Doha on Tuesday to take part in talks on the final details of a potential deal.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believed a cease-fire deal would be reached and laid out Washington’s “next day” plans for Gaza.
The outgoing diplomat said key elements include international support for the PA to establish an interim government to oversee the enclave’s civil affairs, after which the government would hand over governance to a “reformed” PA. He said it would happen.
But Israel has repeatedly refused to recognize the occupation of Gaza by the PA, which controls the occupied West Bank.
Blinken also said the interim security force in Gaza would include soldiers from “partner countries” to strengthen humanitarian assistance and ensure an enabling environment for reconstruction.
“We have worked for months to develop a detailed post-conflict plan that will allow Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza, prevent Hamas from re-entering the country, and enable governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza. “We have been working diligently with our partners on this,” Blinken said.
He said the United States had repeatedly warned Israel that military operations alone would not defeat Hamas.
“We estimate that Hamas has recruited almost as many new[fighters]as it has lost. That’s a recipe for a lasting insurgency and a lasting war,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have stepped up attacks in recent days as a ceasefire appears to be nearing the finish line.
Israel killed at least four Palestinians in Deir El Bala in central Gaza in one of the recent attacks, and a fisherman was killed offshore by an Israeli gunboat in another attack.
The record number of Palestinian media workers killed in the Gaza Strip also rose to 204 on Tuesday, following the death of journalist Mohammed al-Talmas from injuries sustained in an Israeli bombing of Gaza City the previous day.
