Qatar Hands Israel, Hamas Final Draft of Gaza Ceasefire Deal: Report

Doha (Quds News Network)- Qatar has handed Israel and Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and prisoner release agreement designed to end the war in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Monday.
A breakthrough was reached in Doha after midnight following talks between Israel’s spy chiefs, President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy and Qatar’s prime minister, the official said.
On Sunday, US President Joe Biden US urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the White House stating that the two discussed the negotiations in Doha, based on the proposal the US president laid out in May. Biden also called for the return of the captives and increased humanitarian aid to the enclave.
This was the first publicly announced call between the two since October 2024, and it comes as Biden pushes for a deal to stop the war before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
The negotiations, mediated over the past year by the US, Egypt and Qatar, have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal. Still, in recent days, US officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement.
The latest round is taking place in Doha, with the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, as well as Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, both attending the talks.
Barnea’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in the talks.
McGurk was working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s “State of the Union”. But he said he would not predict whether a deal can be reached by January 20, the day of the inauguration.
“We are very, very close,” he said. “Yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.”
The talks come as Israel continues its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly the north of the enclave, which has been subject to a brutal siege for more than 100 days. Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Sunday that 5,000 people have been killed or are missing due to the ongoing attacks.
Israel’s assault in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, and displaced more than 90 percent of the territory’s population from their homes, according to the UN.