Israel and Hamas truce is 'closer than ever', says US

First phase of agreement could bring release of 33 Israeli hostages in return for up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners

- CHRIS STEVENSON

The US and Qatar have said that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is closer than ever, with America's top diplomat saying a truce could be agreed "at any time".

Negotiators met in Doha yesterday hoping to hammer out final details of a deal, which would include the release of hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinians held in Israeli jails being freed.

“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said during a speech, asserting it was up to Hamas. “It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” and word could “come anytime”.

“It could come in the hours ahead. It could come in the days ahead,” Mr Blinken said. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a news conference that talks on the final details were underway after both sides were presented with a text.

Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. An Israeli official said talks had reached a critical phase although some details needed to be hammered out: “We are close, we are not there yet.”

Islamic Jihad, which is separate from Hamas and also holds hostages in Gaza, said it was sending a senior delegation that was set to arrive in Doha last night to take part in final arrangements for a ceasefire deal.

If successful, the phased ceasefire – capping over a year of stopstart talks – could halt fighting that has laid waste to Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, made most of the enclave’s population homeless and is still killing dozens a day. That in turn could ease tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has fuelled conflict in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between Israel and Iran.