The U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari governments have worked extensively for months to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a proposal that would halt Israel’s war in exchange for the release of the hostages Hamas took on Oct. 7.

The intermediary governments have met with one another, as well as with leaders from each side, repeatedly trying to work out the contours of an agreement that would be amenable to both sides, but their efforts have been unsuccessful since the first ceasefire agreement ended in late November.