(AP) — U.S. and Arab mediators have made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a deal hasn’t been reached yet, officials said Monday.
Three officials acknowledged that progress has been made and said the coming days will be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that has destabilized the Middle East. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the talks.
One of the three officials and a Hamas official said that there were still a number of hurdles to clear. On several occasions over the past year, U.S. officials have said that they were on the verge of reaching a deal, only to have the talks stall.
One person familiar with the talks said there had been a breakthrough overnight and that there was a proposed deal on the table. Israeli and Hamas negotiators will now take it back to their leaders for final approval, the person said.
The person said that mediators from the Gulf country of Qatar had put renewed pressure on Hamas to accept the agreement, while U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, was pressing the Israelis. Witkoff recently joined the negotiations and has been in the region in recent days.
The person said that the mediators had handed off the draft deal to each side and that the next 24 hours would be pivotal.
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An Egyptian official said that there had been good progress overnight, but that it would likely take a few more days, and that the sides were aiming for a deal before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
A third official said that the talks were in a good place, but hadn’t been wrapped up. That official also assessed that a deal was possible before the inauguration.
Asked about the talks at a press conference, Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar said “progress has been made, and I hope that within a short time we will see things happening. But it is still to be proved.”
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 hostage-prisoner exchange. The official wasn’t authorized to brief media and spoke anonymously.
The Egyptian official confirmed that those issues were still being discussed.
