Cease-fire agreement in Gaza could come next week

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Friday discussed progress toward a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a delegation to attend internationally-brokered negotiations Thursday in Doha, Qatar.

An unnamed U.S. official on Friday expressed optimism about a peace deal that reportedly resolved the disagreements between Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas, the Associated Press reported. Negotiators crafted the agreement over two days of meetings in Qatar this week, the official said. Negotiations could reconvene in Cairo, Egypt next week to finalize the arrangement.

Has Israel or Hamas said anything about this? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not publicly comment on the results of the peace talks in the region on Friday. Hamas indicated it was not satisfied with Friday’s proposed agreement, according to the Associated Press.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from earlier this week about the U.S., European, and Middle Eastern leaders calling on Israel and Hamas to reach a peace agreement.