Live Updates: Israel, Hamas agree to interim outline of Gaza cease-fire deal, officials say

If implemented, the ceasefire would allow the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, after more than a year of devastating war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed much of the enclave.

Neither Israel nor Hamas have publicly endorsed the deal, but the Palestinian group said on Tuesday that negotiations had reached their “final stages,” and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the Wednesday evening he was returning soon from a trip abroad to join the cabinet discussions on the hostages. Hamas said in a statement Wednesday night that it had responded to the proposed deal, without elaborating further.

To implement the agreement, the Hamas negotiating team at the talks in Doha, Qatar, must obtain the consent of the group’s commanders in Gaza, including Muhammad Sinwar, whose brother Yahya led the group before being. killed by Israel in October.

Hamas officials did not respond to questions about whether Mr. Sinwar had responded to the proposal. But two Israeli security officials said that objections raised by Mr. Sinwar to a draft agreement had been resolved and estimated that a deal could be reached within 24 to 48 hours.

A Hamas official aware of the talks said its negotiators were working to have the details finalized by the end of Wednesday or Thursday, but that negotiations were still ongoing and the timing was unclear.

Officials interviewed for this article spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

As of Wednesday morning, outstanding issues included maps of how Israeli forces will redeploy in Gaza during the cease-fire, as well as lists of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release in exchange for Israeli and foreign hostages, one of the officials said.

Israel also called for a system to prevent armed fighters from returning to northern Gaza. Mediators are also trying to hammer out details on inspections of the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who would have to go to northern Gaza from the south, where many have been displaced, in the event of a truce, the official said. .

The latest round of talks is in Qatar, a key mediator alongside Egypt and the United States. Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday that the two sides have overcome major disagreements.

In Israel, some hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have also expressed opposition to the deal. But on Wednesday, Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, he said he believed that the majority would sign an agreement if it came to a cabinet vote.

Months of shuttle diplomacy have failed to end the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. About 105 prisoners were later released in a week-long ceasefire in November 2023 in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel and Hamas have since held numerous rounds of indirect talks, all of which have ultimately collapsed amid mutual recriminations. Officials familiar with the negotiations have expressed cautious optimism while noting that there is still a chance that the talks will founder.

The current agreement is broadly similar to a three-phase ceasefire framework released by President Biden in late May, according to several officials familiar with the discussions. On Wednesday, Yossi Fuchs, Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet secretary, posted on X that the latest proposal was the same as in May.

Under the May proposal, Israel and Hamas first observed a six-week ceasefire in which Hamas would release women, elderly men and sick hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid. they will enter Gaza every day.

The proposal also calls for Hamas to release three female hostages on the first day of a deal, four more on day seven, and another 26 over the next five weeks, according to a copy of the document obtained by The Times. At the same time, Israel will be required to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners during the initial six weeks.

A minimum of 60,000 temporary houses and 200,000 tents will also be brought to Gaza during the initial phase.

During the second phase of an agreement, Israel and Hamas declared a “permanent cessation of hostilities,” Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza and the remaining live hostages would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. But the details have been a major point of contention: For months, Hamas has demanded that Israel commit to ending the war, which Israel resists.

Abu Bakr Bashir and Gabby Sobelman contributed report.