Gaza Ceasefire Talks Advance Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration

Talks between Israeli and Hamas envoys to pause the 15-month war in Gaza are making progress, with negotiations underway to release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and deliver a boost to humanitarian aid.

Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say they’ve presented a detailed outline to Hamas in a second day of indirect discussions in the Qatari capital of Doha and are awaiting approval for final talks. A Hamas official outside Gaza, who asked not to be identified, agreed that a deal is closer than ever.

Divisions remain between Hamas officials outside Gaza and those inside the war-ravaged territory who have taken a harder line, officials say. There are also splits within the Israeli government, with one far-right minister saying his group will oppose any deal.

The goal is a framework, if not a completed agreement, by Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president next Monday. Talks overseen by the outgoing administration of Joe Biden have foundered for months, during which fighting has continued at various levels of intensity and much of the territory of more than 2 million people has been reduced to rubble.

Officials from different countries expressed optimism that a breakthrough could be imminent — while acknowledging the risk of another failure.

“We’re hopeful there’s going to be a deal that’s struck toward the very end of Biden’s administration, maybe the last day or two,” Vice President-elect JD Vance said on Fox News Sunday.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Monday that Israeli officials are awaiting a Hamas response to its detailed offer — and added that its report had been cleared by military censors.

“There is progress in the negotiations,” Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement. “We will soon know what the other side’s position is.”

The talks are being brokered by a mixture of officials from Biden’s team and those entering office with Trump, along with leaders of Qatar and Egypt.

The Israelis in Doha include the heads of the domestic and foreign spy agencies, the top hostage negotiator and a close foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Before their arrival over the weekend, a working group had made progress, officials say.

The talks involve several issues that have long been sticking points — including which hostages and prisoners will be freed, as well as when and to where. The redeployment of Israeli troops in Gaza and return of Palestinian civilians to the north of the territory are also under discussion, as is the handling of aid distribution.

But the biggest obstacle, as it has always been, is over a complete end to the war that began when thousands of Hamas operatives broke into Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250. That unleashed an Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed at least 46,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and displaced much of the population.

Israel says its war goal is unchanged and unmovable — the complete destruction of Hamas as a military and political entity — and no ceasefire will get in the way of that. Hamas says the only deal it will sign must include an end to the conflict.

Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the US and many other governments.

Israel has threatened to escalate its offensive against Hamas if there is no deal by Trump’s inauguration — a possible reference to ground operations in areas of Gaza that troops and tanks have so far skirted, in the belief that hostages are being kept there and could be harmed.

Phased Ceasefire

Biden officials have for months sought to bridge the gap by working on a phased ceasefire that would start with a pause of about six weeks and involve a partial exchange of hostages for prisoners along with a boost in aid. The second phase would focus talks on a permanent truce.

The problem has been disagreement between Hamas and Israel on whether the first phase guarantees an end of war. Hamas has said if not, no deal. Israel has said if so, no deal. The new talks apparently finesse this gap with some kind of US guarantee, although details are closely held.

What is becoming known are details of the huge number of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Qadura Fares, who oversees prisoners for the Palestinian Authority — a rival of Hamas but indirectly involved in the latest talks — said in an interview that those serving life sentences for violent crimes would be deported to Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

The first hostages freed would be women, the ill and injured and those over 50. There are 98 known hostages remaining in Gaza and about half are thought to be alive.

In addition, Israel may be seeking a kind of extended buffer zone around Gaza to protect its nearby communities that suffered in the October 2023 Hamas attack.

One obstacle in Israel has been that far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have consistently rejected any deal that frees violent Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu has met with both Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leaders of the far right camp, to brief them on the talks.

On Monday, Smotrich issued a rejection of the deal, saying it would be a catastrophe for the country’s security. It’s unclear if he would seek to break up the coalition over the issue.