Israel, Hamas Near Cease-Fire Deal in Gaza

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a cease-fire deal to end the Israel-Hamas war, nuclear energy cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, and a U.S. Justice Department report implicating U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for obstructing the 2020 election.

Doha Talks Near Conclusion

Hamas reportedly accepted a cease-fire and hostage release draft agreement on Tuesday to end the 15-month war in Gaza. “Today, we are at the closest point ever to having a deal,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday.

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Doha Talks Near Conclusion

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene a meeting with his top security advisors later on Tuesday to discuss the current proposal. Top negotiators from all sides are in Doha, Qatar, to finalize the talks—suggesting that this week’s efforts are being taken seriously by all parties involved.

Those in attendance include David Barnea and Ronen Bar, the heads of Israel’s Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies, respectively; Khalil al-Hayya, the acting head of Hamas’s political branch; Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; U.S. CIA Director William Burns and both the Biden administration’s and incoming Trump administration’s Middle East envoys; and Hassan Rashad, the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Agency.

A high-level delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group also arrived in Doha late Tuesday to participate in the dialogue.

The three-phase framework, proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden last May and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, would start with a six-week cease-fire. During that time, Hamas would gradually release 33 hostages, including five female Israeli soldiers, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, around 30 of whom are convicted militants serving life sentences.

Israeli forces would also begin to withdraw from population centers and the Netzarim Corridor but would remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, allowing Palestinians to begin to return to their homes in northern Gaza. Authorities would allow a surge of humanitarian aid into the region, permitting some 600 trucks to enter each day.

The details of the second phase would be negotiated during the first. Mediators hope to create a deal in which Hamas releases the remaining living Israeli captives in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of all remaining Israeli troops from Gaza.

In the final stage, Hamas would return the bodies of killed hostages if Israel agrees to a three-to-five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza, which would be carried out under international supervision.

As negotiators close in on a draft agreement, though, Israel faces internal pressure to scrap the deal. On Tuesday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to leave Netanyahu’s ruling coalition if the prime minister agrees to a cease-fire. He also urged far-right ally and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him. (Smotrich has said that he will not leave the government despite calling the talks a “catastrophe” on Monday.)

Hamas has blamed Israel for repeated setbacks in talks, while Israel and the United States have pointed fingers at the militant group. However, upheaval in the Middle East—from the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Hezbollah’s losses in Lebanon—as well as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s looming inauguration on Jan. 20 have accelerated negotiations in recent days.

Today’s Most Read

What We’re Following

Nuclear energy development. Russia and Vietnam agreed on Tuesday to bolster bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy until 2030 and encourage the sharing of maritime research and technology. The nonbinding agreement, signed in Hanoi by both countries’ prime ministers, expands on Hanoi’s efforts to grow its nuclear power program after an eight-year pause, aiming to diversify energy resources and reduce carbon emissions.

Last June, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled Hanoi to discuss nuclear science development, and in July, Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology inked a deal with Russia’s Rosatom state energy company to build a 10-megawatt microreactor in Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai.

In 2024, bilateral trade increased by 26 percent to roughly $4.6 billion; Russia and Vietnam aim to boost that trade to $15 billion by 2030.

Obstructing the vote. The U.S. Justice Department concluded in a 137-page report on Tuesday that Trump engaged in an “unprecedented criminal effort” to maintain power after losing the 2020 presidential election.

According to U.S. special counsel Jack Smith, who stepped down on Jan. 10, prosecutors planned to bring a four-count indictment against Trump that accused him of plotting to obstruct the collection and certification of votes. However, they were unable to bring his case to trial due to Trump winning the 2024 presidential election in November.

“[B]ut for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial,” Smith’s report said. Among the new allegations, Smith said that he also considered charging Trump with inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot under the Insurrection Act but ultimately concluded that the charge lacked sufficient evidence.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all allegations and denounced Smith as orchestrating a politically motivated attack, which Smith vehemently denies. In May 2024, Trump was also convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records; last Friday, a U.S. judge in Manhattan sentenced the president-elect but gave him an unconditional discharge.

Hegseth under fire. Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, faced intense scrutiny during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Democrats questioned whether he would stand up to Trump if he issued illegal orders and highlighted his lack of experience.

Hegseth failed to name a single member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a close U.S. partner, and falsely claimed that Chinese spy balloons did not fly over the United States during Trump’s previous term.

“You say you care about keeping our armed forces strong and that you like that our armed forces’ meritocracy,” Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said during the hearing. “Then let’s not lower the standards for you. You, sir, are a no-go at this station.”

Republicans, however, appeared willing to back Hegseth’s nomination. Sen. Joni Ernst signaled on Tuesday that she was open to supporting Hegseth, despite questioning his defense spending plan and previous comments toward women in combat roles. Hegseth needs the backing of at least 50 senators to advance his bid to the Senate floor—a vote that is expected to occur on Monday.

France’s political future. Newly appointed French Prime Minister François Bayrou outlined his vision for the new government in Paris on Tuesday, days before he could face a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. His minority government formed last month after his predecessor, Michel Barnier, failed to pass a budget that included unpopular spending cuts and tax increases.

Now, Bayrou must instill public confidence while upholding the tenets that forced his predecessor out of office.

France’s high deficit and rising debt are top concerns for Bayrou’s administration. In his public address on Tuesday, Bayrou emphasized the importance of passing a long-term budget and proposed raising the retirement age to combat France’s fiscal crises. However, last year, pension reforms led to mass protests and snap elections that ultimately resulted in President Emmanuel Macron losing his parliamentary majority.

Odds and Ends

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s workweek is off to an interesting start. On Monday, the impeached leader received his scheduled 3 percent salary increase, bringing his annual income to around $180,000. However, on Tuesday, Yoon remained holed up in the presidential compound as South Korea’s Constitutional Court kicked off impeachment proceedings against him.

Yoon win some, Yoon lose some.

The post Israel, Hamas Near Cease-Fire Deal in Gaza appeared first on Foreign Policy.