NEW YORK, December 17. /TASS/. The Israeli authorities and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas have achieved a breakthrough in talks and are close to an agreement on a Gaza ceasefire, Bloomberg reports, citing Israeli officials.

According to them, "a ceasefire in Gaza is a more realistic prospect than at any time in the past year." The officials point out that "a working group from Israel is in the Qatari capital of Doha this week to re-establish relations with mediators" in the deal. Israel’s optimism has been reflected in recent comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz who said in parliament that a truce is "closer than ever."According to Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, "there’s a chance to reach a deal" on releasing all the hostages.

"The ceasefire plan being worked on would be in stages, starting during the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden and continuing after Donald Trump takes office on January 20," Bloomberg writes, citing sources.

According to the media outlet, "in the first phase of the deal under discussion, hostages defined as ‘humanitarian’ — women, the ill and those older than 51 — would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel." "There would then be a ceasefire of six to seven weeks during which Israeli troops would withdraw from parts of Gaza, with talks beginning on a permanent truce. Hundreds of aid trucks would enter the Palestinian territory daily during that period," Bloomberg notes.

The second phase of the deal "would bring back the remaining hostages — military-age men, mostly — in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners." "The third stage would see work begin on the reconstruction of Gaza," the news outlet adds.

Still, according to the agency, the security checks that would be imposed on Gazans returning to the strip and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian territories will be the sticking points. However, Bloomberg’s sources specify that the confrontation with Israel has weakened Hamas, which is why the movement "appears to have softened its demands and why a deal seems more achievable."

Negotiation process

The Saudi TV channel Al Hadath reported earlier in December that Hamas and Israel might reach an agreement on releasing the hostages before the end of the month. The broadcaster pointed to "significant progress" in talks on a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel’s Ynet news outlet, in turn, reported, citing a senior Hamas member, that "unprecedented progress" had been achieved in the negotiations.

Several rounds of talks on the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas have taken place this year, which produced no results. The parties failed to prolong the agreement of late November 2023, which led to a week-long ceasefire and the release of 105 hostages. Israel believes that 96 out of the 251 hostages taken on October 7, 2024, are still in Gaza. The Israeli army has rescued eight hostages alive and brought back 38 bodies in the past 14 months.