After another round of negotiations on Tuesday in Doha, a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas is closer than ever. According to the spokesperson of the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Madschid Al-Ansari, at a press conference, the current meeting provides a “special kind of optimism” and hope for a deal in sight.
The parties have reportedly overcome the biggest challenges, but this does not necessarily mean the end of the negotiations. According to the official, the process could stall due to the smallest of details, as it has in the past.
Al-Ansari also emphasized that both the government of Joe Biden and representatives of the designated US President Donald Trump have been involved in the recent negotiations. Through their closed efforts, a deal would become increasingly likely.
The spokesperson did not specify when a potential agreement could be closed. Al-Ansari, however, stressed that the two conflict parties received two drafts of the agreement and urged them to sign the deal, so that the war can end as soon as possible.
At the talks on Tuesday, the Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the special envoy for the Middle East in the future Trump administration, Steve Witkoff, and the envoy of the Biden administration, Brett McGurk, were present. Israel was represented by the director of the Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, Ronen Bar.
On Monday, US President Biden had outlined possible points of a deal for a ceasefire. In the document, the release of hostages, who have been held since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in the Gaza Strip, as well as the cessation of hostilities, were written in. The deal would also guarantee the security of Israel and enable a stronger humanitarian effort for the civilians in the Gaza Strip. In return for the hostage release, Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners. According to Reuters, Israeli forces would also gradually and partially withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the potential agreement has sparked criticism from within the Israeli government, with threats of resignation. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, spoke of a capitulation to the Hamas and called on the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the import of humanitarian aid, fuel, and water to Gaza and to continue the military operation until the Hamas is fully defeated. Ben-Gvir also reminded that he had previously blocked a ceasefire through political pressure.
The Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, criticized a deal as a catastrophe for the national security of the country. In his opinion, the Gaza Strip should be occupied until the Hamas has suffered a defeat and all hostages have returned. If the two cabinet members and their parties leave the coalition, Netanyahu’s government would become a minority government and thus vulnerable to potential no-confidence votes.