Negotiators are trying to finalize the final details of a complicated Gaza ceasefire deal on Wednesday, following marathon talks in Qatar aimed at ending the conflict that has caused massive death and destruction and shaken the Middle East.
The lengthy talks, lasting more than eight hours, had fueled optimism in Doha on Tuesday. Officials from Qatar, Egypt and the United States, as well as Israel and Hamas - a terrorist organization designated by the United States and the European Union - said an agreement on a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave and the release of hostages was closer than ever.
But a senior Hamas official told Reuters late Tuesday that the Palestinian group had not yet submitted a response because it was waiting for Israel to hand over maps showing how its forces would withdraw from Gaza.
During months of stalled talks to reach a ceasefire in the now 15-month-old war, both sides have previously said they were close to an agreement only to run into last-minute setbacks. The broad points of the current agreement were set in mid-2024.
If successful, the planned phased ceasefire could halt the fighting that has devastated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced most of its pre-war population of 2.3 million and continues to kill dozens of people every day.
This agreement, in turn, could also ease tensions across the Middle East, where the war has fueled conflicts in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of a general war between Israel and Iran.
Israel launched its attack on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters crossed its borders on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli data.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 46,700 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the enclave's health officials.
Palestinians were once again hoping that the latest talks would bring relief from Israeli airstrikes and ease a humanitarian crisis.
"We are waiting for the ceasefire and the agreement. May God help us to end it well, grant us peace and allow us to return to our homes," said Amal Saleh, 54, a Gaza resident displaced by the war.
"Even if schools have been bombed, destroyed and ruined, we just want to know that we are finally living in peace," she said.
Under the plan, Israel would recover about 100 hostages and the remains of those captured in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that sparked the war. In exchange, Israel would release Palestinian prisoners.
The latest draft is quite complicated and involves many phases. According to its terms, the first steps would include an initial six-week ceasefire.
The plan also includes a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
The deal would also require Hamas to release 33 Israeli hostages, along with other steps.
The draft envisages that negotiations for a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of the first phase. The second phase includes the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.
Even if the warring parties agree to a deal at the table, further negotiations will still be needed before there is a final ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
If all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel should also agree on a vision for Gaza after the war, in a massive undertaking that includes security guarantees for Israel and billions of dollars of investment in Gaza's reconstruction.
Attacks from Israel
Despite efforts to reach a ceasefire, the Israeli army, the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency and the air force attacked about 50 targets across Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Shin Bet and the army said in a statement on Wednesday.
Israeli strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians across the enclave. These included seven people who were in a school housing displaced families in Gaza City and six others killed in separate airstrikes on homes in Deir Al-Balah, Bureij camp and Rafah, medics said.
Israel says 98 hostages are being held in Gaza, about half of whom are believed to be alive. They include Israelis and non-Israelis. Of the total, 94 were seized in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and four have been held in Gaza since 2014./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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