‘Dramatic’ breakthrough in hostage deal talks as Qatar waits on Hamas response to final draft

Israel and Hamas on verge of signing a long-awaited hostage deal and ceasefire agreement, multiple reports claim, with mediators waiting on terror group’s response to final draft of proposed agreement.

By World Israel News Staff

Hostage deal talks underway in Doha, Qatar achieved a major breakthrough overnight, according to multiple reports on Monday morning.

The breakthrough came sometime after midnight early Monday morning following discussions between President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, the Israeli negotiating team, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Reuters reported, citing an official familiar with the talks.

The source claimed that Qatari mediators have issued a final draft of a proposed ceasefire and hostage deal to the Israeli and Hamas delegations.

Reports by several Israeli outlets claimed that the negotiations are on the verge of achieving a deal and that the ball is now in Hamas’s court; suggesting that Israel has already signaled its agreement to the final draft.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, the two sides have reached compromises on the key issues, and Qatari mediators are now waiting for formal approval by Hamas’s politburo.

A source cited by The Jerusalem Post echoed this claim, stating that a deal has already been reached and that negotiators are merely waiting for Hamas to officially sign off on the agreement.

“The hostage deal outline is clear, and Israel has come a long, long way,” an Israeli official said. “We are moving forward slowly and carefully. We hope that Hamas will stop with its refusals.”

The Associated Press reported that significant progress was made overnight by the U.S. delegation and Arab brokers but cited officials who said that no deal has yet been reached.

One source cited in the AP report confirmed that there was a breakthrough but that both the Israeli and the Hamas delegations would need to relay the latest draft to their respective leaders for consideration.

An Israeli official who spoke with Channel 13 expressed optimism that a deal could be reached in a matter of days.

“If Hamas responds soon, all the details can be finalized with days,” he said.