A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC that the terms of the agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages are being finalized.
This comes at a time when White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that it is possible to reach a truce and hostage agreement “this week.”
An Israeli official also told Reuters news agency that the negotiations are in “advanced stages” and that reaching an agreement is possible within “hours, days or more.”
US President Joe Biden He spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on SundayAnd with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar – who is mediating the negotiations – on Monday.
Biden is also scheduled to speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Sullivan said.
The Palestinian official told the BBC that Hamas and Israeli officials held indirect talks in the same building on Monday.
Netanyahu faces fierce opposition to reaching a possible agreement from within his ruling coalition.
Ten right-wing members, including some members of Netanyahu's Likud party, sent a letter to Netanyahu opposing the truce.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Civil Defense Service reported that a wave of Israeli air strikes on Gaza City on Monday killed more than 50 people.
“They bombed schools, homes and even gatherings of people,” civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
The Israeli army said it was looking into these reports. Separately, it said that five soldiers were killed on Monday in the northern Gaza Strip.
The war was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken to Gaza hostage.
Israel launched a military attack on Gaza to destroy Hamas in response.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 46,500 people were killed during the war.
Israel says 94 hostages remain in Gaza, including 34 presumed dead, in addition to four other Israelis kidnapped before the war, two of whom died.
