Qatar, which is one of the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire talks, has handed Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement designed to end the war in Gaza, an official told Reuters on Monday.
The official said progress was made in the talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, after midnight after talks involving Mossad chief David Barnea, the US envoy for the Middle East and the Qatari prime minister.
Outgoing US President Joseph Biden spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release hostages, the White House said.
The statement said Biden stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza in a phone call.
The Israeli military has killed more than 46,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since the Hamas offensive on October 7, 2023.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over the war in the enclave.
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