What we know about the proposed Gaza ceasefire deal

After more than 15 months of near-continuous fighting in Gaza, diplomats trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expressed cautious hope Tuesday that a deal could finally be reached.

But that optimism was tempered by uncertainty over whether the two sides would ultimately agree, by what details could still change and by the experience of past months in which ceasefire talks failed. repeatedly.

“We think we are in the final phase, but until we have an announcement, there will be no announcement,” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, told reporters on Tuesday. Foreign affairs of one of the mediating countries, Qatar.

Here’s what we know about the possible ceasefire agreement.

What is the status of the negotiations?

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Tuesday that Israel and Hamas are “close” to reaching an agreement to suspend fighting in Gaza and release hostages held there in exchange of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

He and diplomats from other mediating countries, including Qatar and Egypt, failed for months to reach a breakthrough in the talks, but they have made rapid progress in recent weeks.

The mediators “managed to minimize a large number of disagreements between the two sides”, al-Ansari said, adding that they were focusing on “the final details to reach an agreement”.