Advertisement
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Israel and Hamas Hope to Secure Cease-Fire Deal Within Days, Officials Say
Negotiators and mediators meeting in Qatar were rushing to address outstanding issues on Wednesday.
Mediators were aiming on Wednesday to clinch a deal within days between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire that would release hostages held in Gaza, 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 has publicly endorsed the agreement, but the Palestinian group said on Tuesday that the negotiations had entered their “final stages.”
In order to implement the deal, Hamas’s negotiating team at the talks in Doha, Qatar, must obtain the consent of the group’s commanders in Gaza, including Mohammad 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 replied 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 concluded within the coming 24 to 48 hours.
A Hamas official aware of the talks said that its negotiators were working to have details finalized by the end of Wednesday or Thursday but that negotiations were still ongoing and that the timing was not clear.
Officials interviewed for this article spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT