After months of deadlock, there are new signs that Israel and Hamas could be moving closer to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
A senior Palestinian official involved in the indirect negotiations told the BBC that talks were in a “decisive and final phase”.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has also said an agreement is closer than ever.
In recent weeks, the US, Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts – reporting greater willingness by both sides in this 14-month war to conclude a deal.
An Israeli delegation described as “working level” is currently in the Qatari capital Doha amid a flurry of diplomatic comings and goings in the region.
The Palestinian official outlined a three-phase plan which would see civilians and women soldiers held hostage in Gaza released in the first 45 days, with Israeli forces pulling out of city centres, the coastal road and the strategic strip of land along the border with Egypt.
There would be a mechanism for displaced Gazans to be able to return to the north of the territory, the official said.
A second stage would see remaining hostages freed and troops withdrawn before the third stage ending the war.
Of 96 hostages still held in Gaza, 62 are assumed by Israel to still be alive.
The plan appears to be based on the deal US President Joe Biden outlined on 31 May and reports from all sides stress there are key details to work out.
A round of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal.
According to his spokesman, Katz told members of the Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Monday: “We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the previous deal,” referring to an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israel in November 2023.
Credit: bbc.com
