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While a deal was not yet in hand, a crack in the stalemate comes after Israel and Hezbollah reached a truce and President-elect Donald J. Trump ratcheted up the pressure for an agreement.
Dec. 9, 2024Updated 4:58 p.m. ET
Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages are quietly advancing behind the scenes, mediators and officials say, after the Israel-Hezbollah truce in Lebanon and pressure from President-elect Donald J. Trump.
While details about the latest proposals remain murky, several officials briefed on the negotiations said the talks are picking up steam.
“We have sensed after the election that the momentum is coming back,” the prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is one of the main mediators, said at a conference in Doha on Saturday.
Mr. Al Thani added that Mr. Trump was encouraging a deal. In November, Steve Witkoff, who will serve as Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy, met Mr. Al Thani in Doha to discuss the negotiations. The following day, Mr. Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, according to an official familiar with the matter.
Since those meetings, the pace of the talks has quickened, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Despite the renewed momentum, officials cautioned that an agreement was not yet in hand. For months, repeated rounds of talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have seen hopes rise only to be dashed days later, with both Israel and Hamas blaming the other for the impasse.
