Israel, Hamas and international stakeholders are engaged in what are seen as the most serious talks in months over a potential ceasefire deal in the besieged Gaza Strip, where dozens of Palestinians continue to be killed by Israeli attacks daily.
Hamas said in an official statement on Tuesday that in light of “positive” talks held in Doha with mediation from Qatar and Egypt, reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement “is possible if the occupation stops imposing new conditions”.
Sources quoted in Israeli media have also been expressing increasing optimism in recent days that the strongest diplomatic push for a ceasefire deal since August could yield results.
“This optimism is cautious because we’ve been here before and the efforts were scuttled at the last minute because of new conditions and different considerations,” said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh.
“Right now, as we understand, the discussions are down to the details, to the names of who will be released from Gaza and also who is being released from the Palestinian side. The outgoing and incoming United States administrations have a vested interest in the deal, even if it doesn’t lead to the end of the war.”
At least 45,059 Palestinians have been killed and 107,041 others wounded in more than 14 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza that began after at least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive. Nearly half of the captives have since been released under a weeklong pause in fighting last year.
In the US, Israel’s top military and political backer, President Joe Biden promised this week he will continue to work to get the remaining captives out of the territory, while President-elect Donald Trump has said there will be “all hell to pay” if they are not released by the time he takes office in January.
US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief Bill Burns is expected in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments and will meet Sheikh Mohammed Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to US-based outlet Axios.
Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, told Knesset lawmakers on Monday that a deal was “closer than ever”, but clarified a day later that after the army defeats Hamas, it will “control security in Gaza with full freedom to act”.
“We will not allow a return to the pre-October 7 reality,” he said in a statement, adding that Israeli control over Gaza will be just like the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military launches many violent daily raids across the West Bank, routinely killing, wounding or arresting Palestinians and demolishing their homes.
Hamas did not mention the Israeli insistence to maintain control over Gaza even in case an agreement is reached in its latest statement, but it has previously said Israeli forces must withdraw from the enclave.
The group’s conditions have previously included a withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Egypt and the so-called Netzarim Corridor that the Israeli military has established to separate southern and northern Gaza, along with surging humanitarian aid and reconstructing the enclave.
Israel maintains siege on north Gaza hospital
As discussions about a potential ceasefire agreement appear to gain momentum, numerous Israeli attacks continue to hit across Gaza to devastating effect.
In some of their latest attacks on Wednesday, Israeli forces hit the intensive care unit at the besieged Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north and put it out of order, director Hussam Abu Safia told Al Jazeera.
There were also multiple casualties after Israeli forces bombed a tent in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
The humanitarian situation in the territory continues to be catastrophic as the Israeli military keeps blocking most aid, especially to the north, which has been under a heavy siege and blockade for more than 70 days.
This comes as the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to pass a resolution for Palestinian statehood, with 172 countries voting in favour and only eight – including Israel and the US – opposing it.