In a big push towards the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediator Qatar has handed a “final” draft of the deal to both the parties, Reuters reported citing an official.

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As per the report, following talks between Israel’s negotiating team, US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Qatar’s prime minister, a breakthrough was finally reached in Doha after midnight.

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However, an Israeli official told Reuters that they haven't received a draft proposal of the deal to end the war in Gaza. But Israeli media reported that the draft was received and was broadly acceptable to Israel. 

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Meanwhile, Hamas in a statement issued Monday said, “We renew our pledge with our steadfast and patient people and with our heroic prisoners in the prisons, and we affirm that their freedom is near.”

'Progress was made': Israeli Foreign Minister

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said at a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday (January 13) that progress has been made in ongoing negotiations to reach a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas but did not disclose a timeline for the same.

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“Progress was made; we see some progress in the negotiations,” Sa’ar said.

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“Israel wants a hostage deal. Israel is working with our American friends in order to achieve a hostage deal, and soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing,” he added.

Responding to a question about the timeline for a potential deal, Sa’ar said, “There is progress, I said it looks much better than previously… but I don’t want to say more than that, because I realize there are families that are sensitive to every word and every sentence.”

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Sa’ar said that Israel is working with both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration and added that he hoped that "within a short time we will see things happening, but it is still to be proved.”

This comes a day after outgoing US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing talks for a ceasefire in Gaza.

During the call, Biden “stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal”, the White House said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos, and videos.