Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal ‘right on brink’, says US, as hopes rise for agreement – as it happened
Summary of the day so far
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
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The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were “right on the brink” as the warring sides were reported to be closing in on a deal. Envoys representing the Biden White House and the incoming Trump administration have been taking part in what was billed as a “final round” of talks, meeting delegates from Israel, Egypt and Qatar. “It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” Blinken said. “But, right now, as we sit here, we await final word from Hamas on its acceptance, and until we get that word, we’ll remain on the brink.” The US president-elect, Donald Trump, said negotiators were “very close” to finalising a deal.
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However, a deal had not yet been clinched on Tuesday night despite more than eight hours of talks in Qatar. A senior Hamas official told Reuters that his group was awaiting documents from Israel that would give more details of the geographical area covered by a ceasefire. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday that talks on the final details were under way after both sides were presented with a text.
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Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal. An Israeli official said talks had reached a critical phase although some details needed to be hammered out: “We are close, we are not there yet.” The militant group Islamic Jihad said it was sending a senior delegation that would arrive in Doha on Tuesday night to take part in final arrangements for a ceasefire deal.
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The first part of the ceasefire deal would involve a release of 33 Israeli hostages, including children, women, elderly people and the sick, and up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial Israeli troop withdrawal in a first phase lasting 60 days, according to Israeli media and reports from Doha. After 16 days, talks would begin on a second phase of the agreement which would involve the release of other survivors among the 61 remaining hostages, including military-age men, and the bodies of those who have died. The Israeli military withdrawal would be completed in the course of this second stage.
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Hopes rose across Gaza that the war that has devastated the territory, killing more than 46,000 and displacing millions, was finally coming to an end. Residents of the embattled territory expressed mixed emotions: hope and fear for the future but pain and grief for the past 15 months. Optimism over the negotiations has been tempered by past experience after earlier apparent breakthroughs ultimately failed in the face of opposition from the coalition government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or obstruction from Hamas inside Gaza.
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Fighting in Gaza has continued in recent days despite reports of an imminent ceasefire. Late on Monday night, two Israeli airstrikes in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed two women and their four children, aged between 1 month and nine years old. Another 12 people were killed in two strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis.
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Blinken, in an outgoing speech at the Atlantic Council, outlined a vision for a postwar settlement under which Israel would accept a united leadership of Gaza and the West Bank territories under a reformed Palestinian Authority. Israel has so far rejected those conditions. He also spoke about significant involvement from the international community and Arab countries, including the possibility of deploying troops to stabilise security and facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. Blinken’s speech was interrupted several times by protesters.
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Palestinian families are seeking justice after an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raid on Balata camp in the West Bank resulted in the death of an 80-year-old woman and another civilian. A report by the Guardian found that the IDF operation on 19 December 2024 used a hospital vehicle with Palestinian licence plates, in violation of humanitarian law.
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Afghan citizens who fled the country with American assistance after the US’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan remain stranded in third countries, new documents shared exclusively with the Guardian suggest.
Key events
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Here’s more analysis from the Associated Press on the humanitarian dimension of the reported 42-day first phase of the draft ceasefire deal:
In the first phase, aid entry to Gaza is to be ramped up to hundreds of trucks a day of food, medicine, supplies and fuel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. That is far more than Israel has allowed in throughout the war.
For months, aid groups have struggled to distribute to Palestinians even the trickle of aid entering Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions and rampant robberies of aid trucks by gangs. An end to fighting should alleviate that.
The need is great. Malnutrition and diseases are rampant among Palestinians, crammed into tents and short on food and clean water. Hospitals have been damaged and short of supplies. The draft deal specifies that equipment will be allowed in to build shelters for tens of thousands whose homes were destroyed and to rebuild infrastructure like electricity, sewage, communications and road systems.
But here, too, implementation could bring problems.
Even before the war, Israel has restricted entry of some equipment, arguing it could be used for military purposes by Hamas. Another Israeli official said arrangements are still being worked out over aid distribution and cleanup, but the plan is to prevent Hamas from having any role.
Further complicating matters, Israel’s government is still committed to its plan to ban Unrwa from operating and to cut all ties between the agency and the Israeli government. The UN agency is the major distributor of aid in Gaza and provides education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Relatives of Israeli hostages and war-battered Palestinians in Gaza are waiting anxiously for the ceasefire deal to be finalised, AFP reports.
“Time is of the essence,” said Gil Dickmann, cousin of former hostage Carmel Gat, whose body was recovered from a Gaza tunnel in September.
“Hostages who are alive will end up dead. Hostages who are dead might be lost,” Dickmann said at a rally in Jerusalem. “We have to act now.”
Umm Ibrahim Abu Sultan, a resident of Gaza City now living in Khan Younis after being displaced, said that she had “lost everything” in the war.
“I am anxiously awaiting the truce. I will cry for days on end,” said the mother of five.
Hamas’s 7 October attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
On that day, militants also took 251 people hostage, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 46,645 people, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, whose figures the UN considers reliable.
Israeli media and sources close to the talks said the first phase of a deal would see 33 Israeli hostages freed, while two Palestinian sources close to Hamas told AFP that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
Tehran never plotted to kill Donald Trump, Iranian president says
Iran “never” plotted to assassinate Donald Trump during last year’s US election campaign and never will in the future, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an NBC News interview, denying past claims from Trump and the US government.
In November, the US Justice Department charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by Tehran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps to assassinate the US president-elect. Law enforcement thwarted the alleged plan before any attack was carried out.
Trump also said last year during the US election campaign that Iran may have been behind attempts to kill him.
“None whatsoever,” Pezeshkian said when asked if there was an Iranian plan to kill Trump. “We have never attempted this to begin with and we never will.”
Trump’s return to the White House and Iran’s advancing nuclear program have prompted speculation that the United States and Israel might take military action to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday said Iran was at its weakest point since the country’s 1979 revolution and its weakness was a concern as it may push the country to rethink its nuclear weapons posture.
Pezeshkian said Iran is not seeking war but would be ready to defend itself if its nuclear sites came under attack.
“You see, naturally enough, we will react to any action. We do not fear war, but we do not seek it,” he said, adding: “I solemnly hope that this will not transpire because it will be to the detriment of all the actors, not only and merely us.”
The interview came during intensive diplomatic talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Israel and Hamas after months of indirect talks involving Egypt, Qatar, the United States and other countries.
Asked whether Iran had a role to play in brokering a possible deal, Pezeshkian said: “We do whatever we can in order for peace to prevail in the region.”
Some analysis of the proposed ceasefire deal draft, via Associated Press:
During the proposed deal’s first phase, Israeli troops are to pull back into a buffer zone about a kilometre (0.6 miles) wide inside Gaza along its borders with Israel.
That will allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, including in Gaza City and northern Gaza. With most of Gaza’s population driven into massive, squalid tent camps, Palestinians are desperate to get back to their homes, even though many were destroyed or heavily damaged by Israel’s campaign.
But there are complications. During the past year of negotiations, Israel has insisted it must control the movement of Palestinians to the north to ensure Hamas does not take weapons back into those areas.
Throughout the war, the Israeli military has severed the north from the rest of Gaza by holding the so-called Netzarim Corridor, a belt across the strip where troops cleared out the Palestinian population and set up bases. That allowed them to search people fleeing from the north into central Gaza and bar anyone trying to return.
The draft seen by the AP specifies that Israel is to leave the corridor. In the first week, troops would withdraw from the main north-south coastal road – Rasheed Street – which would open one route for Palestinians returning. By the 22nd day of the ceasefire, Israeli troops are to leave the entire corridor.
Still, as talks continued Tuesday, an Israeli official insisted the military will keep control of Netzarim and that Palestinians returning north would have to pass inspections there, though he declined to provide details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed negotiations.
As hopes of a ceasefire grow, hunger and cold are adding to the suffering for the millions of Palestinians in the strip.
Fifteen months into the war in Gaza, where more than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed and almost all of the population of 2.1 million are living in makeshift accommodation, conditions continue to deteriorate in the face of famine and cold.
At least 1.9 million people – or about 90% of the territory’s population – are displaced. Many have been forced to relocate repeatedly, some as many as 10 times.
Over the past three months, Israeli ground operations have concentrated on the northern third of the territory, where Israel says it is trying to prevent Hamas from regrouping and Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate a buffer zone.
The United Nations said on Tuesday it was busy preparing to expand humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip under a potential ceasefire but uncertainty around border access and security in the territory remain obstacles, Reuters reports.
Negotiators in Qatar are hammering out final details of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza, with mediators and the warring sides all describing a deal as closer than ever. A truce would include a significant increase of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
The UN humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, met with Israeli and Palestinian ministers in recent days and spoke with the Egyptian foreign minister on Tuesday about UN engagement in a ceasefire, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
“The UN system as a whole is in intense planning and preparation for when a ceasefire comes into play, and how we can increase the aid,” Dujarric said.
Among the unknowns are what border crossings would be open into Gaza under a truce and how secure the territory would be for aid distribution since many shipments have been targeted by armed gangs and looters during the conflict.
“Obviously, things will continue to be challenging because we don’t have answers to all those questions,” Dujarric said.
The fate of the UN Palestinian relief agency Unrwa is also unclear as a law banning its operation on Israeli land and contact with Israeli authorities is due to take effect later this month.
The White House has released a readout of the call between President Joe Biden and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
The two leaders discussed the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal based on the arrangement described by President Biden last year and endorsed unanimously by the UN security council.
The President thanked President Sisi for his leadership and praised the mediating role of Egypt throughout the process. He emphasized that this deal would never have been possible without Egypt’s essential and historic role in the Middle East and commitment to diplomacy for resolving conflicts.
Both leaders emphasized the urgent need for a deal to be implemented to bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza through a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by the ceasefire together with the return of hostages to their families. Both leaders committed to remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming hours.
Death toll rises to 13 in Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Deir al-Balah – report
Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, reports that at least 13 people have been killed in the airstrike on Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, up from 10 reported earlier. Wafa reports the attack on Tuesday evening hit the home of the Shaheen family in the city’s south.
Lorenzo Tondo
The families of Israeli hostages held captive for 15 months in the Gaza Strip have voiced cautious optimism their loved ones may soon be free as talks to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued in Qatar.
“The reports suggesting a potential deal to secure the release of our loved ones offer a glimmer of hope, though we remain cautious,” a statement from the families released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters said on Tuesday.
“Our hearts are filled with both hope and apprehension as we await concrete developments. In these sensitive times, it is our shared responsibility to exercise care and consideration.”
“Every day you fear the worst,” Moshe Emilio Lavi – whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, is among the hostages – told the Guardian.
“Time ran out a long time ago. The international community completely failed. Our government failed by not prioritising their release enough.”
At least 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, say medics
An Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Deir al-Balah killed at least 10 Palestinians and wounded others, Reuters reported, citing medics.
In a separate strike on a house in Rafah, five people including a woman were killed, and four others were injured, medics said.
Hamas accepts draft ceasefire deal – report
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages, Associated Press is reporting, citing two officials involved in the talks.
An Israeli official said progress has been made but the details are being finalized, the news agency said.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is currently meeting with his hostage negotiation team and with members of Israel’s security establishment, the Times of Israel is reporting.
In an update to the hostages’ families, Netanyahu’s office said talks in Doha are ongoing and that the sides are discussing final details required for an agreement, it said.
Negotiations will continue through the night, the prime minister’s office said, adding that families will be updated as soon as possible.
Six killed in Israeli airstrike on Jenin refugee camp in West Bank – Palestinian health ministry
Six Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli strike on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, a statement by the Palestinian health ministry said.
A 15-year-old was among the people killed in the Israeli strike, the ministry said, as well as three members of the same family.
The Israeli military confirmed it carried out “an attack in the Jenin area”, without providing additional details.
Summary of the day so far
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
-
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were “right on the brink” as the warring sides were reported to be closing in on a deal. Envoys representing the Biden White House and the incoming Trump administration have been taking part in what was billed as a “final round” of talks, meeting delegates from Israel, Egypt and Qatar. “It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” Blinken said. “But, right now, as we sit here, we await final word from Hamas on its acceptance, and until we get that word, we’ll remain on the brink.” The US president-elect, Donald Trump, said negotiators were “very close” to finalising a deal.
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However, a deal had not yet been clinched on Tuesday night despite more than eight hours of talks in Qatar. A senior Hamas official told Reuters that his group was awaiting documents from Israel that would give more details of the geographical area covered by a ceasefire. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday that talks on the final details were under way after both sides were presented with a text.
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Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal. An Israeli official said talks had reached a critical phase although some details needed to be hammered out: “We are close, we are not there yet.” The militant group Islamic Jihad said it was sending a senior delegation that would arrive in Doha on Tuesday night to take part in final arrangements for a ceasefire deal.
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The first part of the ceasefire deal would involve a release of 33 Israeli hostages, including children, women, elderly people and the sick, and up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial Israeli troop withdrawal in a first phase lasting 60 days, according to Israeli media and reports from Doha. After 16 days, talks would begin on a second phase of the agreement which would involve the release of other survivors among the 61 remaining hostages, including military-age men, and the bodies of those who have died. The Israeli military withdrawal would be completed in the course of this second stage.
-
Hopes rose across Gaza that the war that has devastated the territory, killing more than 46,000 and displacing millions, was finally coming to an end. Residents of the embattled territory expressed mixed emotions: hope and fear for the future but pain and grief for the past 15 months. Optimism over the negotiations has been tempered by past experience after earlier apparent breakthroughs ultimately failed in the face of opposition from the coalition government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or obstruction from Hamas inside Gaza.
-
Fighting in Gaza has continued in recent days despite reports of an imminent ceasefire. Late on Monday night, two Israeli airstrikes in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed two women and their four children, aged between 1 month and nine years old. Another 12 people were killed in two strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis.
-
Blinken, in an outgoing speech at the Atlantic Council, outlined a vision for a postwar settlement under which Israel would accept a united leadership of Gaza and the West Bank territories under a reformed Palestinian Authority. Israel has so far rejected those conditions. He also spoke about significant involvement from the international community and Arab countries, including the possibility of deploying troops to stabilise security and facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. Blinken’s speech was interrupted several times by protesters.
-
Palestinian families are seeking justice after an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raid on Balata camp in the West Bank resulted in the death of an 80-year-old woman and another civilian. A report by the Guardian found that the IDF operation on 19 December 2024 used a hospital vehicle with Palestinian licence plates, in violation of humanitarian law.
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Afghan citizens who fled the country with American assistance after the US’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan remain stranded in third countries, new documents shared exclusively with the Guardian suggest.
Israel’s former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said finalising a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas is the right thing to do as he urged the government to put “national considerations” above political interests.
“I hope that this time … the national interest will override the political interest,” Gallant said, in apparent reference to Benjamin Netanyahu, who fired him in November after the two clashed on a number of issues, including a ceasefire agreement. Gallant at the time had been urgently pushing for a deal.
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he hoped a possible ceasefire in Gaza will open a new phase and allow the restoration of peace in the Middle East.
“The agreement being finalised in these hours on the ceasefire and hostage release is very important news,” Tajani said during a news conference after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar.
He said he hoped an agreement would “hopefully open a new phase and allow peace to be restored throughout the Middle East,” Reuters reported.
Here are some of the latest images from the newswires from Tel Aviv, where thousands gathered in “hostage square” on Tuesday night in anticipation of a ceasefire deal.
Hamas says it is waiting for maps of areas Israel will withdraw to before ceasefire response
A ceasefire agreement and hostage release deal has not yet been clinched, despite more than eight hours of talks in Qatar on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
A senior Hamas official told the news agency his group was awaiting documents from Israel that would give more details of the geographical area covered by a ceasefire:
[Hamas] hasn’t delivered its response yet because the occupation [Israel] has not submitted the maps that will show the areas to which its forces will withdraw.
The official added that the maps included Israeli withdrawals from the Netzarim area in the middle of the Gaza Strip, to allow the return of the displaced people to their homes, Jabalia in the north of the tiny territory, the Philadelphi road along the southern border with Egypt, and Rafah, also near that border.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a news conference earlier Tuesday that talks on the final details were under way after both sides were presented with a text.
