Israel and Hamas Near Agreement on Cease-Fire Deal, Qatar Says

Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement to declare a cease-fire in Gaza and release hostages held there after over 15 months of war, the Qatari government said on Tuesday.

Mediators had “managed to minimize a lot of the disagreements between both parties,” Majed al-Ansari, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman, told reporters. The talks on Tuesday were focused on “the final details of reaching an agreement,” he said.

The negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, come after months of failed attempts to achieve a breakthrough. In recent weeks, officials familiar with the talks have voiced mounting hopes that an agreement was possible, spurred by a looming deadline: the end of President Biden’s term and President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Mr. Trump has warned that there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY” unless the hostages were freed by the time he became president. Officials in the Biden administration had been pressing for a deal that would become part of the departing president’s legacy.

If Hamas and Israel conclude a deal, it would bring some respite to Palestinians in Gaza, who have endured miserable conditions in displacement camps and relentless bombardments by Israel, and for the families of hostages abducted from Israel, who have worried for more than a year about the fate of their loved ones. A diplomat said the talks on Tuesday were focusing on addressing outstanding issues, while a Palestinian in touch with Hamas officials said they would center on details of how to enact an agreement. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

The emerging agreement, the diplomat said, was heavily inspired by previous proposals discussed in May and July.