Israel-Gaza ceasefire latest: Talks ‘on brink’ of deal after midnight breakthrough

An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with the Hamas militants in Gaza. Ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

The first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick, the official told Reuters.

On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and men of military age – would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar told reporters: “There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

In its retaliatory offensive, Israel has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip.

Negotiators will reportedly meet in Doha today in an effort to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza after US president Joe Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was “on the brink” of coming to fruition.

Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement yesterday, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing US president and president-elect Donald Trump.

“The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Mr Biden said in a speech yesterday.

The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be identified, said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha.

Israeli strikes killed at least 45 Palestinians in Gaza on Monday even as ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel advanced over the weekend.

An Israeli warplane struck Salah al-Din School east of Gaza City, killing five people and wounding dozens, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence told Xinhua. He said another 30 people, including children, were killed in bombings that targeted gatherings in the city.

Israeli aircraft also stuck the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, killing five people and injuring 10 others, Mr Basal added.

Mediators brokering a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are “close to a deal”, a top US aide has said after a midnight breakthrough in talks attended by envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

The outgoing US president’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said they were now at a “pivotal moment” in negotiations that he hoped could be concluded within the week.

Families of the remaining 95 or so hostages waited anxiously for news of a deal they have spent more than a year campaigning for.

Bel Trew and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report.

US president-elect Donald Trump said he believed a hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas in Gaza and Israel could be completed by the end of the week.

“We are very close to getting it done, and they have to get it done. If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble like they have never seen before, and they will get it done,” Mr Trump said in a Newsmax interview.

“And I understand it’s, it’s been – there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished,” he added. “But it has to take place.”

Mr Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is in the region and has met with Israeli and Qatari officials in recent days.

The president-elect last week warned that “all hell” would be unleashed on Hamas if a deal is not reached before his inauguration on 20 January.

A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted central Israel early this morning, causing sirens to blare and people to flee into bomb shelters.

Several Israeli strikes also hit the Gaza Strip overnight and this morning, as Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli military said it made several attempts to intercept a missile launched from Yemen and “the missile was likely intercepted”.

The Magen David Adom emergency service in Israel said there were no injuries from the missile or falling debris, but some people suffered injuries when running to shelters.

Israel’s military also said an earlier missile was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory.

Lebanon’s new president has asked prominent diplomat and jurist Nawaf Salam to form the country’s new government after he was named prime minister by a large number of legislators yesterday in a move that has apparently angered Hezbollah.

Mr Salam is currently serving as the head of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and his nomination was made by Western-backed groups as well as independents in the Lebanese parliament.

He has the support of Saudi Arabia and Western countries as well. Hezbollah legislators abstained from naming any candidate for the prime minister’s post.

Mr Salam’s nomination is seen by many as a glimpse of hope after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that left 4,000 people dead and more than 16,000 wounded and caused destruction totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The war stopped in late November when a US-brokered 60-day truce went into effect.