A two-month ceasefire in Gaza? Hamas and Israel are on the verge of reaching an agreement which would see Israel halt all fighting in Gaza for about two months in exchange for Hamas releasing over 100 Israeli hostages, the New York Times reports. The US-led agreement is in its final stages, with expectations that it will be finalized within two weeks.

To move things forward: CIA head William Burns will reportedly meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, Israel’s Mossad head David Barnea, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in France in the coming few days, Reuters wrote. The talks will center on the agreement.

What’s next? If Burns’ meetings go well and make enough progress, the Biden administration will send Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk to the region to help finalize the agreement.

DIPLOMACY-

Biden jumps on the phone with El Sisi: US President Joe Biden and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi affirmed that “all efforts must now be made to conclude an agreement that would result in the release of all hostages together with a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting,” according to a US embassy readout. The two also renewed their commitment to reject the displacement of Palestinains and affirmed the importance of a two-state solution to ensure security and stability in the region, an Ittihadiya statement following the call said.

But El Sisi wasn’t picking up the phone for everybody: The Egyptian president reportedly refused to receive a phone call from Netenyahu.

UN’s Palestinian refugee organization loses funding: The US — the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) biggest donor — along with the UK, Italy, Canada, Finland, and Australia have suspended additional funding to UNRWA over Israeli allegations that several staff members took part in the 7 October attacks. The UN has preemptively fired several employees over the accusations and is investigating the allegations.

ICJ ORDERS ISRAEL TO PREVENT GENOCIDE-

The ICJ gives its verdict: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to limit harm to civilians in Gaza and prevent acts of genocide, but did not order an immediate ceasefire in a ruling (pdf) shared on Friday. The court also found that there is “plausible claim” of genocide that Israel must answer for.

Egypt welcomed the ruling and called “on Israel to immediately implement all the measures contained in the ICJ decision,” in a statement from the Foreign Ministry, but added that Egypt is “looking forward to the ICJ requesting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as the court has ruled in similar cases.”

ON THE GROUND-

Israeli forces killed 20 Palestinians in Gaza City who had been standing in line for humanitarian aid, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday. Gaza is being made “completely uninhabitable,” as Israeli attacks on infrastructure and protected facilities like hospitals, coupled with increasingly cold weather, have put many more civilians at risk of dying, the UN Human Rights Office warned on Friday.

More than just numbers: At least 26,257 Palestinians have now been killed in Gaza since October 7 and most of the enclave’s 2.3 mn population have been displaced from their homes and have been pushed into ever-smaller areas in the south.

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