Israel and Hamas agree in principle to ceasefire and hostage deal, sources say

A draft deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and hostage release has been agreed to in principle and, if all goes well, will be finalized by Israel and Hamas this week, Arab, U.S. and Israeli officials told CBS News.

If final details are approved, and the Israeli government also votes to approve it shortly thereafter, implementation of the deal could begin this weekend, U.S. and regional sources said. That means President Biden’s long-sought ceasefire deal could come together in the final days of his presidency, and incoming President-elect Donald Trump would oversee its implementation.

Sources tell CBS News that the parties have begun drafting public statements of success and hopes are high on all sides.

Getting to a ceasefire and hostage release deal

In Doha, the talks have been underway for the past few weeks and were continuing Tuesday.

Mr. Biden’s top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, has been in the region for the better part of a month working to close the deal, coordinating on a regular basis with Steve Witkoff, who has been tapped by Trump to be special Middle East envoy.

Witkoff was in Israel over the weekend for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Qatari prime minister is set to meet Tuesday with Mossad Director David Barnea to help finalize the details of the agreement.

While the Biden administration has been drafting a detailed plan for the so-called “Day After” the Israeli withdrawal in Gaza, its implementation and enforcement would be left to the Trump administration. Privately, U.S. officials acknowledge this plan for governance is aspirational, and it would be up to the Trump team to help shape the future of Palestinian Gaza and pressure the Netanyahu government and Hamas to adhere to later phases of the deal. 

“I think the pressure is building for Hamas to come to yes, and I think Israel also has achieved a huge amount of its military objectives in Gaza, and therefore, they are in a position to be able to say ‘yes,'” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

Sullivan said Israel and Hamas had been close to a deal before, and things had fallen through, but on Monday there was a “general sense that this is moving in the right direction.”

“The question is now, can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen?” Sullivan said.

“We are in advanced stages of negotiations,” an Israeli political source told CBS News, saying a deal could be agreed in hours or days. “There is progress in all components of the agreement formula.”

What would the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal look like?

On Sunday, President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone about the ongoing negotiations. The White House said the two leaders discussed the deal based on the arrangement outlined by Mr. Biden last year.

The deal presented to Israel and Hamas appears similar to that arrangement, according to a copy of the deal from mediator sources seen by CBS News and a senior Israeli official.

The deal consists of three phases, according to the copy viewed by CBS News, each one to be negotiated as things progress.

During the first phase, which would take place over a 42 days ceasefire period, Hamas would release 33 women and children hostages, as well as hostages over 50 years old. For each woman or child hostage returned to Israel, Israel would release 30 Palestinian women and children from its prisons. Hamas would release all hostages over 50 years of age, and Israel would release 30 Palestinian prisoners aged 50 or older.

On the first day of that ceasefire, Hamas would release 3 hostages, according to the document viewed by CBS News. On the seventh day, Hamas would release 4 hostages. Thereafter, Hamas would release 3 hostages taken from Israel every seven days, starting with the living and then moving on to return the bodies of those who have died.

During the exchange of hostages and prisoners, there would be a complete ceasefire in Gaza to allow aid to enter, the draft viewed by CBS News said. International aid groups and the United Nations would resume operation in Gaza, and reconstruction of its infrastructure, like water, electricity and sewage systems, would begin. There would also be negotiations over the next phase of the deal.

The second phase of the deal would involve the release of all the Israeli male hostages and the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, according to the document viewed by CBS News.

The third phase, which would be partially negotiated during earlier phases, would include the exchange of bodies of deceased hostages and prisoners, the beginning of the reconstruction of Gaza, and the opening of its borders.

Despite the intense mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, the talks have repeatedly stalled over issues including the details of the hostage and prisoner exchanges, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and whether the ceasefire would be permanent.

Hamas and other groups in Gaza are still holding captive around 100 hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7 2023 attack. Militants killed around 1,200 people in that attack and abducted 250.

Over 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel in its response to the Oct. 7 attack, according to the Hamas-run ministry of health, and the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 people have been displaced. Humanitarian groups have struggled to deliver aid and experts have warned of famine.

Marwan Al-Ghoul, Michal Ben-Gal and Mais Al-Bayaa contributed to this report.