Qatar says Gaza talks in ‘final stages’ with major issues resolved, deal possible ‘very soon’

Negotiations in Doha for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their “final stages,” mediator Qatar’s foreign ministry says.

“We do believe that we are at the final stages… certainly we are hopeful that this would lead very soon to an agreement,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari tells a news conference, adding that “until there is an announcement… we shouldn’t be over-excited about what’s happening right now.”

He says that most obstacles had been overcome.

“During the past months, there were underlying issues, major issues between the two parties unresolved. These issues were resolved during the talks in the past couple of weeks, and therefore we have reached a point where the major issues that were preventing a deal from happening were addressed,” he says.