US and Arab mediators are said to have made ‘significant progress’ overnight toward a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas – to end the killing and release the hostages
Gaza is reportedly on the brink of a ceasfire deal as Israel and Hamas discuss plans to put an end to the bloodshed in Palestine and release the hostages.
While an official deal is yet to be confirmed, four officials said on Monday that progress has been made and that the coming days would be crucial for ending the ongoing bloodshed in the Middle East, with at least 46,584 Palestinians killed and 109,731 wounded since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks in Tel Aviv. At least 1,139 Israelis were killed in the attacks, while more than 200 were taken captive.
More than 3,800 people have been killed in Lebanon since October 2023, with one million people forced to flee their homes after Israel’s launched a ground invasion on September 30, 2024, to dismantle what it called Hezbollah’s “terrorist infrastructure”.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one US official briefed on the negotiations said all sides are “closer than we’ve ever been, but it could still fall apart.” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that “the operative framework for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza” could potentially be finalised this week.
President Joe Biden said his adminstration was working ugerntly to close the agreement, which will also secure the release of Israeli captives in Gaza. “It is the deal that the parties right now are working off of to try to close,” he said. The president spoke of his plans to chat with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi about negotiations.
Two more officials, including one associated with Hamas, said there were still a number of hurdles standing in the way of the deal. US leaders have repeatedly hinted at the possibility of a ceasefire over the last year, but have failed to pass it. Another unnamed person involved in the talks said a new proposed deal was on the cards following a breakthrough overnight. Israeli and Hamas negotiators will take it to their leaders for final approval, the person said.
Hundreds have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest the release of all remaining captives held by Hamas in Gaza, putting further pressure on the Israeli government to secure the deal. In Gaza, Israeli aistrikes have continued, with at least eight people, including two women and two children, killed by in a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza on Saturday.
The region has also battled a deadly famine, a surge in infectious diseases and seen infants less than three weeks old freezing to death as temperatures plummet this winter.
