The finalized version of an agreement to halt the conflict in Gazan territories was presented to both sides of the conflict by Qatari officials today. according to a source informed on the talks. It followed a late Sunday night’s “breakthrough” in negotiations that were joined by two different US envoys.
According to the Qatari source, Doha provided a truce and hostage-release document to both parties during negotiations in Qatar. The Qatari PM and the heads of Israel’s intelligence services, the Mossad and Shin Bet, participated in the talks.
As Trump gets back to power next week, Steve Witkoff will take over as U.S. envoy. He participated in the discussions this week. Brett McGurk, the departing Biden cabinet’s representative, was also in the talks, according to a U.S. insider.
According to the source, closing the agreement would depend heavily on the following moves. The document was described in the comment as the result of an advancement that was made early on Monday morning. According to an Israeli source quoted by Israeli media, an early version was sent to both the Israeli and Hamas representatives in Qatar. The heads of Israel had been updated by the Israeli team. Inquiries for verification and clarification were not answered by Israel, Hamas, or the Qatari officials.
Both parties’ representatives reported that the negotiations were going well. If Palestinians responds to a plan, an agreement may be finalized in a matter of days, according to an influential Israeli source. According to a Palestinian insider with knowledge of the negotiations, the recent developments in Qatar were highly encouraging.
For over fourteen months, Washington, Doha and a range of other regional actors have been engaged in negotiations to put a stop to the conflict in Palestine. The idea of stopping the war has been widely accepted by both parties in the mid-2023. In exchange, Palestinian captives detained by Israel and hostages seized by Hamas could get released. Hamas, meanwhile, has consistently maintained that the agreement must result in Israel’s exit from Gaza and a lasting conclusion to the conflict. Israel has stated that the battle is going to continue until Hamas is destroyed.
Trump Factor
Many people in the area now consider Trump’s introduction on January 20 to be a highly binding ultimatum. The previous and next US president has threatened “hell to pay” if the captives seized by Hamas are not released before to his inauguration.
According to the source, discussions continued into Monday morning. Whereas the Qatari PM urged Hamas representatives to finalize a deal, Witkoff pressed the Israeli team in the talks. As a component of the negotiations, the chief of Egyptian general intelligence service was also in the negotiations.
Throughout the end of November, Trump’s representative has made many trips to Tel Aviv and Doha. He visited Israel on Saturday to speak with Benjamin Netanyahu after spending Friday in Qatar. The next day, he went back to Doha.
Biden again emphasized the pressing requirement for an end to violence in Gaza in a phone conversation with Bibi yesterday. After Hamas forces overran Gaza’s boundaries in October 2023, Israel began its attack against the city with an initial goal of annihilating Hamas.
Palestinian medical authorities say that over 46,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the outset of war 15 months ago. The majority of the city’s people was relocated, and a considerable part of it was left to ruin.
The most recent ideas were criticized as a “disaster for the national security of the country of Israel” by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Hardliner chauvinist Smotrich has resisted former efforts at a compromise.
At least 21 individuals were killed by Israeli military attacks in Gaza today, according to medical officials. An Israeli airstrike upon an educational institution in Gaza City that was providing protection to families who were displaced murdered five people.
