Mediators pushed Wednesday to finalize a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, while Israel’s military reported carrying out airstrikes overnight in northern, central and southern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hamas targets in Gaza City, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.
U.S. and Qatari officials expressed optimism Tuesday that Israel and Hamas were close to a deal, while cautioning that some details remained to be worked out.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Washington speech, "I believe we will get a ceasefire," but added that it was up to Hamas to give its final assent. "It's right on the brink. It's closer than it's ever been before."
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari described the ongoing talks as in the "final stages" and at the "closest point" yet to an agreement.
Hamas said it was awaiting maps from Israel showing which parts of Gaza it would withdraw its troops from in the initial stages of the ceasefire.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel will not compromise on security and will intervene if it sees a threat from Gaza in the future.
The basic parameters of the ceasefire proposal would see the process play out in several stages.
Hamas would release hostages it has been holding since the militants carried out their October 2023 attack on Israel, while Israeli authorities would release Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli troops would carry out a phased withdrawal from Gaza, and some Palestinians displaced by the conflict would be allowed to return, along with a surge in aid for Palestinian civilians.
The United Nations said on Tuesday that it was preparing to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza under the potential ceasefire. But challenges — such as uncertainty surrounding border access and security — remain.
Months of negotiations led by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have failed to bring a halt to the fighting, but in recent weeks, the effort has gained momentum at a time when the United States is preparing for President-elect Donald Trump to take office January 20 as Biden's four-year term ends.
Blinken made a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza.
"We have a responsibility to ensure that the strategic gains of the last 15 months endure and lay the foundation for a better future," Blinken told the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based policy research organization. "All too often in the Middle East, we've seen how the shoes of one dictator can be filled by another or give way to conflict and chaos."
Blinken said the plan envisions the Palestinian Authority inviting "international partners" to create an interim governing authority to run critical services and oversee the territory. Other partners, notably Arab states, would provide forces to ensure security in the short term, he said.
That security mission would depend on a pathway to an independent Palestinian state unifying Gaza and the West Bank and would be tasked with creating "a secure environment for humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and ensuring border security," Blinken said. Creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel has refused to support, has been a sticking point in the negotiations.
Israel launched its assault on Hamas in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and others.
Since then, more than 46,600 people have been killed in Gaza, with most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials, although Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas combatants it has killed.
Much of Gaza has been laid to waste during the fighting and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its 2.3 million population displaced, often multiple times.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
