The Palestinian movement Hamas is reportedly preparing to sign an initial ceasefire agreement with Israel in the coming days, according to the EFE news agency, citing a source within Hamas.
Indirect negotiations in Doha are ongoing to finalize key terms, which include an exchange of hostages for Palestinians held in Israel. A preliminary agreement may be reached by the end of this week. The source stated that the continued presence of Israeli negotiators in Qatar indicates a potential agreement on general terms.
The proposed agreement's first phase could involve Hamas releasing 34 Israeli hostages in exchange for a one-and-a-half-month ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinians. The second phase, expected to begin a week after the first, would see the release of remaining hostages in return for additional Palestinians and another one-and-a-half-month ceasefire. Further discussions on conflict resolution and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza would follow in a third phase.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Qatar had shared a final draft of the agreement with representatives of both Israel and Hamas. On January 11, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed negotiators to travel to Doha to continue talks regarding the hostages in Gaza. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on January 12 that the sides were "very close" to a ceasefire deal, potentially before Trump's inauguration on January 20. That evening, Netanyahu's office announced that he had discussed the negotiations with US President Joe Biden by phone.
In late November 2023, a humanitarian truce brokered by Egypt and Qatar brought a week-long ceasefire in Gaza, during which 110 hostages were reportedly freed. However, the ceasefire broke down on December 1, 2023, with hostilities resuming. Multiple rounds of talks involving Egypt, Qatar, and the US throughout 2024 failed to produce an agreement on ceasefire terms.
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Based on TASS materials