The News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to downplay reports from local media and international outlets including Axios Wednesday that a “breakthrough” had been reached in negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a ceasefire and hostage-return deal.
Netanyahu’s office said that contrary to some reports citing Israeli and Palestinian sources, Hamas had not officially responded to the deal on the table after days of talks in Doha, Qatar. The Times of Israel has also reported that a deal is expected to be signed Wednesday evening, and that a joint declaration may be released soon after.
Speculation has been mounting since Egyptian, US, and Qatari negotiators announced Tuesday that approval for a final draft was close at hand. Outgoing US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated earlier on Wednesday that a truce could come “at any time.”
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Since Hamas’ led the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel that left more than 1,200 people dead and saw the Palestinian militant group taking some 251 people hostage, more than 46,000 people in Gaza are estimated to have been killed in the fighting and millions displaced.
The ceasefire deal being negotiated in Doha would reportedly see a six-week initial pause in fighting, as well as the return of the remaining hostages by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, Reuters reported, although the precise details are uncertain. A roadmap for a post-war Gaza is expected to come later.
