Gaza ceasefire could happen by end of week: Witkoff
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Witkoff expressed hope that by the end of the week an agreement could be finalized that would establish a 60-day ceasefire.
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Steve Witkoff watches as Secretary of State Marco Rubio applauds as President Donald Trump speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House on February 11, 2025. (AP)
US envoy Steve Witkoff stated that negotiations over Gaza have reached a point of convergence, noting that there were four key issues at the start, but now only one remains.
Witkoff expressed hope that by the end of the week, an agreement could be finalized that would establish a 60-day ceasefire, adding that the deal includes the release of 10 living Israeli captives and the return of 9 bodies over the course of the 60-day period.
Ceasefire conditions
The latest round of negotiations comes as Netanyahu prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington later Monday. Trump, who has publicly pushed for a Gaza deal in recent weeks, expressed optimism earlier in the day: “There’s a good chance we have a deal with Hamas... during the coming week,” he told reporters.
Netanyahu echoed this sentiment before departing Tel Aviv, stating the meeting with Trump could “definitely help advance this” agreement. He added that "Israel’s" negotiation team in Doha had been given “clear instructions” to reach a deal, though “under the conditions that we have agreed to.”
Those conditions remain a sticking point. While the US-backed proposal includes a 60-day truce and a prisoner exchange, 10 living captives and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, the Palestinian Resistance is reportedly demanding additional guarantees. These include assurances that fighting will not resume during ongoing talks, a framework for Israeli military withdrawal, the return of a UN-led aid distribution system, and, increasingly, unfettered humanitarian access into Gaza, guarantees Israeli officials have previously dismissed as “unacceptable.”
Crucially, Hamas has demanded that any agreement must include an end to Israeli aggression, a full military withdrawal from Gaza, and unobstructed humanitarian access, objectives it has described as necessary for justice and Palestinian self-determination.
