Israel and Hamas on brink of peace as official claims final draft of ceasefire deal being considered
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Mediators brokering a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are “close to a deal”, a top US aide has said after a midnight breakthrough in talks attended by envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. “We are now at a pivotal point in the negotiations for a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza,” Mr Sullivan said at the White House after officials said a breakthrough was reached in the early hours of Monday morning. With a mounting death toll and concerns for the fates of the hostages, Mr Sullivan said that the US administration had “accelerated” efforts in recent weeks to get the deal over the line. A Palestinian official close to the talks said information from Doha was “very promising”, adding: “Gaps were being narrowed and there is a big push toward an agreement if all goes well to the end.” open image in gallery Smoke rises from a building destroyed in Israeli airstrike at the Bureij camp Israel, Hamas and the foreign ministry of Qatar did not respond to requests for confirmation or comment.