The situation on the ground in Gaza was ripe for a ceasefire. That doesn’t mean it’s ripe for long-lasting peace between Israel and Hamas.

The negotiations that led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement took months and months. At the center of the talks representing the United States was Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

Significant progress has been made in the negotiations hosted in Doha between Hamas and Israel. Here are some of the details.

Inside a lavish clubhouse on Doha’s waterfront, tensions strained by months of fruitless back-and-forth weighed on negotiators as the hour neared 3 a.m.

Rarely have representatives of current and new presidents of different parties worked together at such a high-stakes moment. But the president and the president-elect didn’t quite share credit.

Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Negotiators were meeting in Qatar on Tuesday hoping to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden indicated a ceasefire and hostage release deal was imminent.

The deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages being held in Gaza and begin a ceasefire was officially signed by negotiators in Doha on Thursday, according to two sources familiar with the issue.

Biden officials involved in the effort acknowledged that President-elect Donald Trump’s threats and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff’s participation during the final week of negotiations played a major role in bringing across the finish line a deal they had struggled to reach for more than a year.

(Gil Cohen-Magen/AP File) Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the global coalition against ... al-Thani speaks at a joint press conference with the U.S. secretary of state in Doha, Qatar, June 12, 2024. (Ibraheem Al Omari/AP File) Khalil al-Hayya, a high ...

BRETT MCGURK, White House Coordinator For the Middle ... And I spent most of the last six weeks, first in Cairo, then in Doha, kind of nailing this down. And it was at the end of December, Amna.

The first stage of the deal would see 33 hostages set free, including children and women. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Inside a lavish clubhouse on Doha's waterfront, tensions strained by months of fruitless back-and-forth weighed on negotiators as the hour neared 3 a.m.