DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Mediators were making a final push Wednesday to seal a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, after a Qatari official involved in the talks expressed hope an agreement could be reached “very soon.”
Qatar, Egypt and the United States (US) have intensified efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages taken during Hamas’ 7 October 2023, attack on Israel.
US President Joe Biden and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a phone call Tuesday that both sides needed to show “flexibility” to get a deal over the line, according to a statement from Sisi’s office.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went into a meeting with top security officials late Tuesday to discuss the deal, his office said, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “ball is now in Hamas’ court.”
“If Hamas accepts, the deal is ready to be concluded and implemented,” he said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday that negotiations were in their “final stages” and mediators were hopeful they would lead “very soon to an agreement.”
Israeli media and sources close to the talks said the first phase of a deal would see 33 Israeli hostages freed, while two Palestinian sources close to Hamas told Agence France-Presse that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.