While the U.S. administration expresses optimism regarding a potential cease-fire in Gaza, officials from Israel and Hamas have been negotiating terms for an agreement in Qatar over the past three days.
Despite the absence of an imminent breakthrough, the ongoing presence of negotiators from both sides in Doha indicates a serious commitment to reaching a deal.
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel are indirect, with officials from each side situated in separate buildings and mediators facilitating communication between them, as reported by a diplomat familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks. The aim is to bridge the remaining gaps.
"I think it’s too early to provide impressions about these negotiations," stated Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry, during a news conference. "The parties are engaged," he added.
The current negotiations aim to establish an initial 60-day cease-fire and facilitate the release of hostages. Under the proposed agreement, further discussions regarding the conclusion of the conflict would commence on the first day of the cease-fire.
Israel's negotiating team includes representatives from the military, Shin Bet (the domestic intelligence service), and Mossad (the foreign intelligence service), as well as Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coordinator for hostages, and Ophir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, according to two Israeli officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The chief negotiator for Hamas is Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas official based in Qatar, who previously served as a deputy to Yahya Sinwar, the leader implicated in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Documents recovered by the Israeli military indicate that al-Hayya was also involved in planning the assault.
Al-Hayya collaborates closely with various Hamas leaders in Qatar and maintains communication with members of the group in Gaza, including Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the commander of Hamas’s military wing.
During previous negotiations that led to a cease-fire in January, discussions in Doha often extended late into the night.