Mediators make final push for Gaza cease-fire deal

DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Negotiators were trying to hammer out the final details of a complex, phased cease-fire in Gaza on Wednesday after marathon talks in Qatar aimed at ending a conflict that has inflicted widespread death and destruction and upended the Middle East.

More than eight hours of talks in Doha had fueled optimism. Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States as well as Israel and Hamas said on Tuesday that an agreement for a truce in the besieged Palestinian enclave and the release of hostages was closer than ever.

However, a senior Hamas official told Reuters late on Tuesday that the Palestinian group had not yet delivered its response because it was still waiting for Israel to submit maps showing how its forces would withdraw from Gaza.

During months of on-and-off talks to achieve a truce in the devastating 15-month-old conflict, both sides have previously said they were close to a cease-fire only to hit last-minute obstacles. The broad outlines of the current deal have been in place since mid-2024.

If successful, the planned phased cease-fire could halt fighting that has decimated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced most of the enclave's population of 2.3 million, and is still killing dozens of people each day.

That, in turn, could ease tensions across the wider Middle East, where the conflict has fueled fighting in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of an all-out war between Israel and Iran.

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed across its borders on Oct 7,2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 46,700 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave.

Palestinians were once again hoping the latest talks would deliver some relief from Israeli airstrikes, and ease a humanitarian crisis.

"We are waiting for the cease-fire and the truce. May God complete it for us in goodness, bless us with peace and allow us to return to our homes," said Amal Saleh, 54, a displaced Gazan.

"Even if the schools are bombed, destroyed and ruined, we just want to know that we are finally living in peace."

Under the plan, Israel would recover about 100 remaining hostages and bodies from among those captured. In return, it would free Palestinian detainees.

The latest draft is complicated and sensitive. Under its terms, the first steps would feature a six-week initial cease-fire.

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.

Two phases

The draft stipulates negotiations over a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of phase one. Phase two includes the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent cease-fire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.

Even if the warring sides agree to the deal on the table, that agreement still needs further negotiation before there is a final cease-fire and the release of all the hostages.

If it all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel still need to agree on a vision for post-conflict Gaza, a massive task involving security guarantees for Israel and billions of dollars in investment for rebuilding.

Despite the efforts to reach a ceasefire, the Israeli military, the Shin Bet internal intelligence agency and the air force attacked about 50 targets throughout Gaza over the past 24 hours, Shin Bet and the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

Israeli strikes killed at least 27 Palestinians across the enclave. Those included seven people who were in a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. Another six were killed in separate airstrikes on houses in Deir al-Balah, Bureij camp and Rafah, medics said.

Agencies via Xinhua