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US-led mediators have sent the final draft of a ceasefire proposal to Israel and Hamas after a “breakthrough” in talks over a deal to end the war and secure the release of hostages in Gaza.
People familiar with the matter said it left the warring parties the closest they have been to ending the 15-month conflict since at least July, when an earlier push broke down.
“The final deal is now with all sides for approval,” a diplomat briefed on the talks said.
“A breakthrough was reached around midnight in Doha . . . The mediators put the responsibility on both sides to agree to the deal,” the diplomat added. “The next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching the deal.”
The “breakthrough” came after a flurry of diplomacy involving President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli spy chief David Barnea and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
The US, Qatar and Egypt have for months struggled to broker a deal to end the conflict in Gaza and secure the release of about 100 hostages held in the besieged strip.
But the talks gathered new momentum after the election of Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that all hostages be released before his January 20 inauguration. He has warned that there would otherwise be “all Hell to pay”.
Previous periods of optimism that mediators were closing in on a deal have been dashed by the warring parties’ refusal to make the necessary concessions to get an agreement over the line.
The White House said that President Joe Biden had spoken to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Monday.
It added: “Both leaders agreed to remain in close co-ordination directly and through their teams at this critical point in the negotiations.”
