Middle East
Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal at ‘closest point,’ Qatar says
The Washington Post
January 15, 2025
Protesters hold photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and 100 light sticks to symbolize 100 hostages held by Hamas during a rally calling for a hostages deal on Jan. 4, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Amir Levy, Getty Images/TNS)
Israel and Hamas appear to be nearing a ceasefire deal, according to optimistic statements from officials representing them as well as the United States and Qatar, where talks are being held.
Qatar said Tuesday that Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” in months to a deal that could halt the devastating 15-month-long war in Gaza and release hostages.
“We believe that we have reached the final stages,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, told reporters in Doha, while seeking to temper expectations until a final deal is in place. Over the course of the war, ceasefire negotiations have faltered at the 11th hour on several occasions.
A former Egyptian official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said the “final outline of the agreement is already done and approved from both sides.”
The first phase of the proposed deal, spanning a 42-day ceasefire, would see the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, according to U.S. officials.
Here’s what else to know
Israeli officials believe that 98 hostages remain in Gaza and that about 60 are still alive. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long truce in November 2023. Since then, some have died in captivity, while others were rescued by Israeli forces.
At least 46,645 people have been killed in Gaza and 110,012 injured since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says the majority of the dead are women and children.
Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including more than 300 soldiers. It says 405 soldiers have been killed in its military operation in Gaza.