FINGERS CROSSED

Temporary Gaza Ceasefire Deal in the Works, Report Says

The deal would include the longest pause in fighting Gaza has seen so far.

Negotiators have drafted a potential deal between Israel and Hamas that would allow the phased return of more than 100 Israeli hostages over a two-month period of ceasefire in Gaza, according to The New York Times. The working draft reportedly seeks to combine proposals by both sides, and is set to be ironed out in Paris on Sunday between the warring parties and mediators that include the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. If accepted, the deal could also allow for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons to be released and for the increased flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The proposed two-month pause would be the longest Gaza has seen over the course of the war, dwarfing the seven-day reprieve in November–but it is far from the permanent ceasefire Hamas seeks.