Reuters: Final Draft of Ceasefire Agreement Presented to Israel and Hamas

On Monday, January 24, Reuters reported, citing an informed source, that Israeli and Hamas negotiators have received the final draft of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza from Qatar. This source told Reuters that the draft was prepared following midnight progress with the presence of Brett McGurk, a representative of President Joe Biden, and Steve Witkoff, a representative of President-elect Donald Trump, and it specifies the terms of the ceasefire and the release of hostages. In addition to these two senior American diplomats, the heads of Israel's intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet, as well as the Prime Minister of Qatar and the head of Egypt's intelligence agency are present in the ongoing negotiations in Qatar. The Reuters source described the draft presented to the Israeli and Hamas parties as the result of intensive nighttime efforts and added that 'the next 24 hours will be crucial for reaching a decisive agreement.' Israel's Kan Radio confirmed in a report that Israeli and Hamas negotiators have received the final draft of the ceasefire, and Israeli officials are aware of the contents of this draft. Reuters quoted a senior Israeli official stating that if Hamas agrees to this draft, an agreement could be reached in the coming days. Hamas also confirmed that it has received the ceasefire draft, with a spokesperson describing it as 'very promising.' The news of progress in negotiations and the presentation of the final draft to Israel and Hamas comes just a day after a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu. In this call, the U.S. President emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages taken by Hamas. In this context, Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's pick for National Security Advisor, stated on Sunday that Trump is 'serious' about reaching an agreement before his inauguration on January 21. According to him, delays in the release of hostages will lead Hamas to face 'worse' agreements, and the continuation of 'this type of hostage diplomacy' will result in 'full-blown chaos in the Middle East.' Donald Trump had similarly stated on Tuesday, January 18, that if about 100 remaining hostages, taken during Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 of last year, are not released before his inauguration on January 21, 'full-blown chaos in the Middle East' will occur. During the October 7 terrorist attack, Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped over 250 others, including the elderly, women, and children, as hostages to Gaza. Following this terrorist attack, Israel launched an invasion of Gaza to destroy Hamas and free all kidnapped hostages. According to Israeli estimates, 94 hostages are still held by Hamas, and at least 34 of them have lost their lives. The United States, the European Union, Israel, and several other countries and international organizations consider Hamas a terrorist group. Biden emphasized the need for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in his conversation with Netanyahu.