Efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and release hostages are close but not yet finalized, an Israeli official told The Hill on Monday, after Reuters reported Qatar has handed a final deal to both sides. International mediators have intensified efforts to secure a deal ahead of President-elect Trump taking office on Jan. 20. Trump has warned that “all hell” will break loose in the Middle East if hostages Hamas kidnapped from southern Israel during its Oct. 7 attack are not released before he is sworn in, adding pressure as President Biden seeks to secure a major foreign policy win in his few days left in office. But Hamas officials have reportedly talked of sticking points over where the Israeli army will withdraw from; the size of a buffer zone between Israel and the Gaza Strip; and whether the ceasefire will be permanent. “I think we are talking about very crucial hours, we are in the nearest point to reach a ceasefire agreement,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told The Hill.