Middle East Crisis
The negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, appear to be making progress after months of failed attempts to achieve a breakthrough.
Adam RasgonAaron BoxermanIsabel Kershner and Ismaeel Naar
Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement to declare a cease-fire in Gaza and release hostages held there, the Qatari government, a key broker in the talks, said on Tuesday, raising hopes after more than 15 months of war for some respite in the fighting.
The latest round of negotiations follows repeated failed attempts to reach a breakthrough. But in recent weeks, officials familiar with the talks have voiced hope that a looming deadline was helping to close the gap: the end of President Joe Biden’s term and President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Mediators had “managed to minimize a lot of the disagreements between both parties,” Majed al-Ansari, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman, told reporters. The talks on Tuesday were focused on “the final details of reaching an agreement,” he said.
Officials in both the Israeli government and Hamas have suggested that they are ready to move forward if the other side signs off. On Monday, a Hamas official said a deal was possible in the coming days as long as Israel did not suddenly change its positions. On Tuesday, an Israeli official said Israel was ready to close the deal and was waiting for Hamas to make a decision.
But mediators, which also include Egypt and the United States, and other officials have warned that even substantial progress could be dashed at the last minute. Each of the previous rounds of negotiations over the past several months ultimately broke down in mutual recrimination.
“We believe that we are at the final stages, but until we have an announcement — there will be no announcement,” said Mr. al-Ansari, adding that there was no immediate timeline for signing a deal.
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