Gaza war: significant progress towards ceasefire, says report
text_fieldsCairo: For a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza war, US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight, officials informed on Monday. However, a deal is yet to be reached, the Associated Press reported.
Four officials acknowledged that progress had been made and said the coming days would be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that has destabilised the Middle East. A US official briefed on the negotiations said all sides are "closer than we've ever been, but it could still fall apart".
Two other officials, including one associated with Hamas, said there were still a number of hurdles. On several occasions over the past year, US leaders have said they were on the verge of reaching a deal, only to have talks stall. Another person familiar with the talks said there had been a breakthrough overnight, and there was a proposed deal on the table. Israeli and Hamas negotiators will take it to their leaders for final approval, the person said.
The person said mediators from Qatar had put renewed pressure on Hamas to accept the agreement while US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, was pressing the Israelis. The person said the mediators had handed the draft deal to each side, and the next 24 hours would be pivotal. An Egyptian official said there had been good progress overnight, but it would likely take a few more days, and the sides were aiming for a deal before Trump's inauguration on January 20.
A Hamas official said a number of contentious issues still need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, according to the territory's Health Ministry, whose count doesn't give a breakdown between fighters and civilians. Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others in the attack that ignited the war.
In Jerusalem, around 1,000 people blocked the main entrance to the city and demonstrated against the deal.
In Tel Aviv, dozens of supporters of the hostages spelt out "HOME!" at the entrance to the city's main military base.