Palestinians and Israelis dare to hope as Gaza deal reportedly close

 Palestinians and Israelis dare to hope as Gaza deal reportedly close

Image caption,

Sanabel says she wants any ceasefire to last "for a long time - for the rest of our lives"

Palestinians and Israelis have expressed cautious optimism that a deal on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held there is close after 15 months of devastating war.

"I can't believe that I am still alive to witness this moment," 17-year-old Sanabel said in a voice note sent from Gaza City. "We've been waiting for this with bated breath since the first month of [last] year."

Sharon Lifshitz, whose elderly father is among the remaining hostages, said: "I'm trying to breathe. I'm trying to be optimistic. I'm trying to imagine it's possible that a deal will happen now and that all the hostages will return."

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that there were no major issues blocking a deal between Israel and Hamas and that the indirect talks in Doha were focused on "the final details of reaching an agreement".

An Israeli government official said the talks had made "real progress" and entered a critical and sensitive period, while Hamas said it was satisfied with the status of the negotiations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a deal was "right on the brink".

THIS AND MORE UPDATES AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy48gzxky85o