(VOVWORLD) - Negotiators were meeting in Qatar on Tuesday to finalize a plan to end the conflict in Gaza after US President Joe Biden suggested a ceasefire and hostage release deal was near.
 Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, January 14, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS) |
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a news conference that talks on the final details were underway, marking the closest point to a deal in months.
Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal.
Qatari mediators had given Israel and Hamas a final draft of a text for a ceasefire and release of hostages agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after what he described as a midnight breakthrough in talks in Doha.
If successful, the phased ceasefire - capping over a year of start-and-stop talks - could halt fighting that has left Gaza in ruins, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, made most of Gaza's population homeless and is still killing dozens a day.