Mediators gathering in Doha on Tuesday expressed optimism about reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement after reported progress in overnight negotiations.
The proposed deal would see the release of 33 Israeli hostages – including children, women, elderly and sick people – in exchange for up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial Israeli military withdrawal during an initial 60-day phase, sources close to the talks said.
A second phase, to be negotiated after 16 days, would address the release of the remaining 61 hostages, including military-age men and bodies of those deceased, coupled with a complete Israeli withdrawal.
Representatives from the current U.S. administration and the incoming government are participating in what officials described as a “final round” of talks with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari delegates.
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voiced opposition to the deal on social media, claiming he and other far-right coalition members had previously blocked multiple ceasefire attempts.
He urged fellow hardliner Bezalel Smotrich to join him in leaving the coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepts the agreement.
“The deal taking shape is a catastrophe for Israel’s national security”, Smotrich said on Monday.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel which began the war killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel has killed at least 46,645 Palestinians, with more than 102,000 wounded, since the October 7 attack by Hamas. It has also killed around 3,000 in Lebanon and Syria, while around 3 million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the war.
Experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations have accused Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.
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