Times: The Gaza agreement was ready a year ago.

Israeli independent negotiator Gershon Baskin revealed that the agreement announced on Thursday between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel regarding the end of the war in Gaza had been on the table in the same form for over a year.

The British Times newspaper quoted Baskin as saying that Hamas had agreed to the same terms in September 2024, during the final months of former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, in what was then referred to as the "three-week agreement."

However, U.S. officials ignored the offer at the time, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court – categorically rejected it, according to the newspaper's report.

Baskin – who is considered the architect of the negotiations that led to the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011 – wrote in an article revealing his role in those negotiations that he received a written and audio copy in both Arabic and English of the draft agreement.

He stated that the Israeli negotiators informed him at the time that "the Prime Minister (Netanyahu) does not agree to end the war."

He added that he managed to convey his plan to Biden's office, but did not get the chance to present it to the chief U.S. negotiator Brett McGurk, who "refused to deviate from the bad deal he was negotiating," according to him.

Baskin noted that members of the U.S. negotiating delegation "felt the same frustration as I did at their inability to convince Biden and his advisors" to seriously consider the offer.

The Times reported that Baskin met, at the end of 2024, with the head of the Shin Bet at the time, Ronen Bar, who asked him "not to use back channels because a ceasefire agreement would be reached within three weeks" – that is, when Trump took office – which made the negotiator realize that the war would only end when Trump decided it was time to do so.

Accordingly, the newspaper stated, Baskin opened an informal communication channel with Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, explaining that "it is not necessary to negotiate directly with the Israeli side, as Israel will adhere to any conditions imposed by Trump."

His efforts resulted in a ceasefire on January 19, allowing Trump to boast that he had brought peace to the Middle East one day before officially taking office, according to the Times report.

The newspaper revealed that the proposed agreement in 2024 included three phases starting with the release of 33 Israeli detainees in exchange for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, a partial Israeli withdrawal from populated areas in Gaza, and the flow of humanitarian aid.

The phases concluded with the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, the release of more prisoners and detainees, the completion of Israel's withdrawal, and the beginning of reconstruction.

However, that agreement collapsed after Israel refused to move to the second phase.

After months of mutual accusations and the spread of famine in Gaza, the same agreement was reintroduced in September 2025.

According to the British newspaper, Baskin confirmed that Trump revived the agreement by pressuring Netanyahu to finalize it as part of a 20-point plan mediated in its latest negotiations by Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt.

With both sides signing the long-awaited agreement in Egypt, Baskin wrote: "Now we have to wait for its full implementation… and now we can start breathing again."