Israel awaits Hamas' response to final Gaza deal draft, officials say

• Trump has threatened there would be "hell to pay in the Middle East" if Hamas didn't release the hostages by the time he is inaugurated.
• About 98 hostages are still being held in Gaza, among them seven Americans. Roughly half of the hostages, including three Americans, are believed to be still alive, according to Israeli intelligence.
• More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Driving the news: The sources said the mediators are awaiting Hamas' response to the draft. An Israeli official said the leader of Hamas's military wing in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar, will decide whether to agree to the deal.

• Two Israeli officials said Hamas' response is expected in the next 24 hours.
• Israeli officials said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to make new concessions about the Palestinian prisoners who would be released as part of the deal and about the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors in Gaza.
• "It seems that we are headed for a deal," an Israeli official said, adding that they are waiting for Hamas' response and "only then will we know for sure."

The other side: A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday that "the negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon."

The latest: President Biden in a speech at the State Department on Monday said "we are on the brink" of a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal.

• "We are pressing hard" to close the deal, Biden said.

A senior Israeli official told reporters in a briefing on Monday that there is "progress in all components of the agreement."

• "We are working in coordination with the mediators and with both U.S. administrations — the outgoing and incoming. The best, optimal conditions have been created for a deal to take place," the official said.
• The official added that Israel is ready to immediately implement the deal. "I don't know if it's a matter of hours, days or more until the talks are completed. We want it to happen quickly," the official said.

Zoom in: According to the draft agreement, 33 hostages would be released in the first phase of the deal, including women, children, men over the age of 50 and men under the age of 50 who are wounded and sick.

• Hamas has not yet provided information on the condition of those 33 hostages, the Israeli official said. Israel's assessment is that most are alive.
• The hostages would be released gradually throughout the first phase of the agreement, which would last 42 days. At the same time, there would be a ceasefire in Gaza.

During the first phase, Israeli Defense Forces would also gradually withdraw to a buffer zone in Gaza near the border with Israel, the official said. The IDF would leave the Netzarim corridor in the center of the Gaza Strip and the Philadelphi corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt — two areas that have been a sticking point in past negotiations.

• But Israel won't completely withdraw from Gaza until all of the hostages are returned, the Israeli official said.

Palestinians would also be allowed to return to northern Gaza during the first phase of the deal. An Israeli official said there would be "security arrangements" to ensure no militants or weapons are moved to the northern part of the Strip.

• Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would also be released, including those who murdered Israelis. The exact number of prisoners to be released will be determined only after Hamas clarifies which of the hostages to be released are alive, the official said.
• The Israeli official said Palestinian prisoners who murdered Israelis would not be released to the West Bank, but declined to say where they would be released to. Hamas members who participated in the Oct. 7 attack would not be released in the first phase.

On the 16th day of the first phase of the agreement, negotiations would begin on the implementation of the second phase of the deal, which is supposed to end with a full withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip and a permanent ceasefire.

• The senior Israeli official said in the briefing that the second phase would include the release of all the living and dead hostages still held by Hamas.
• The deal would also includes an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza , according to the official, who added that Israel is working on a way to prevent Hamas from taking control of the aid in order to make it difficult for the group to govern Gaza again.

Zoom out: Biden spoke on the phone Monday with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim al-Thani and discussed efforts to reach a deal, the White House said. Biden is expected to speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday as well.

• The Qatari emir met on Monday with a delegation of senior Hamas officials led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Haya.
• The emir also held a joint meeting with Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the hostage deal. Both are in Doha for the negotiations.

What they're saying: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a Bloomberg event in Washington, DC on Monday that there's been "considerable" pressure on Hamas to come to an agreement.

• "There is a distinct possibility we can get this deal done this week," Sullivan said.
• Sullivan said he spoke on Monday morning with McGurk, and with the prime minister of Qatar and Israeli negotiators. A source familiar said Israeli Mossad Director David Barnea was on the call. Barnea, Israeli Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar and IDF general Nitzan Alon traveled to Doha on Saturday for talks about the deal.
• The source said Netanyahu told Biden in a call on Sunday that he wants the deal as it is right now and is willing to conclude the negotiations as soon as possible.
• "There is a general sense that this is moving in the right direction. It is there for the taking. The question is if we can get everyone to say yes," Sullivan said.

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for details.