DOHA: Following a midnight “breakthrough” in discussions attended by US President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy, mediator Qatar provided Israel and Hamas with a final draft of an agreement to stop the war in Gaza on Monday, according to an official briefed on the proceedings.
According to the official, Israel’s Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence heads, Qatar’s prime minister, and Steve Witkoff, who will serve as US envoy when Trump takes office next week, hashed out the agreement for a truce and the release of captives during negotiations in Doha. It is also believed that officials from the departing US administration took part.
“To close the deal, the next 24 hours will be crucial,” the official stated.
According to an Israeli official quoted by Israel’s Kan radio, the Israeli team briefed Israel’s leaders on the document that was sent to the Israeli and Hamas representatives in Qatar on Monday. Requests for confirmation and comment were not answered by Israel, Hamas, or Qatar’s foreign ministry.
Norway will host the Global Alliance’s third summit in search of a two-state solution.
Although they did not confirm that a final draft had been reached, officials from both sides described the negotiations’ progress.
If Hamas responds to a proposal, a deal may be finalized in a matter of days, according to a senior Israeli official. Information from Doha was described as “very promising” by a Palestinian official with knowledge of the negotiations, who also stated that “if all goes well to the end, there is a big push toward an agreement and gaps were being narrowed.” For over a year, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been engaged in negotiations to put an end to the conflict in Gaza.
De facto due date
Many people in the area now consider Trump’s inauguration on January 20 to be a de facto deadline. While outgoing President Joe Biden has pushed hard for a deal before he goes, the US president-elect has stated that if hostages held by Hamas are not freed before he enters office, there will be “hell to pay.”
According to the official, Witkoff pushed the Israeli team in Doha and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to finalize an agreement, and the talks continued into the early hours of Monday.
According to the official, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the chief of Egypt’s general intelligence service, was also present in the Qatari capital for the discussions.
Since late November, Trump envoy Witkoff has made multiple trips to Israel and Qatar. After spending Friday in Doha, he traveled to Israel on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before heading back to Doha.
In a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Sunday, Biden emphasized “the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal,” according to the White House.
Two-state resolution
In a similar event, Norway’s foreign ministry said on Monday that dozens of nations will send delegates to Norway on Wednesday as part of an international coalition seeking a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Among those scheduled to attend are UN ambassador to the Middle East Tor Wennesland, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, and Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee organization UNRWA.
The Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was established in September on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York, will hold its third gathering.
In a statement, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated, “We must continue to work for an end to the war (in Gaza), but we must also work for a lasting solution to the conflict that guarantees self-determination, security, and justice for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
Despite the absence of an official Israeli delegation, representatives from over 80 nations and organizations are anticipated to attend the gathering.
The decision by a number of nations, including Norway, to recognize the Palestinian state infuriated Israel.
