A senior Arab diplomat told the "Times of Israel" that Qatari and Egyptian mediators believe significant progress has been made this week towards agreeing on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after a long period of deadlock in talks. According to the unnamed diplomat, the deal will be in three phases: the first lasting six weeks, during which approximately 40 hostages, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, will be released. The second phase involves the release of soldiers, while the bodies of the deceased will be handed over in the third phase. The diplomat added that in the final stages, both sides would engage in talks regarding a permanent ceasefire.
However, the remarks of the Arab diplomat contradict what Qatar affirmed on Tuesday, stating that Israel and Hamas "are not close to an agreement" regarding a ceasefire in the ongoing war between them since October 7 in the besieged Gaza Strip. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid Al-Ansari said during a press conference in Doha: "We are not close to reaching an agreement, which means we do not see both sides agreeing on a language that can resolve the current dispute regarding the implementation of an agreement." After weeks of negotiations between the conflicting parties mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States concerning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, Ramadan began on Monday amid continuing shelling and airstrikes in the context of an escalating humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.
