Israel and Saudi Arabia have made significant progress in talks about normalising their relations, according to a report from Haaretz on Tuesday. The report also suggests that this normalisation could be connected to a long-awaited ceasefire agreement, which would end Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.

According to people acquainted with the talks, Israel decided to provide a nebulous pledge on a "path towards Palestinian statehood" instead of granting Saudi Arabia's demand for the recognition of a Palestinian state, Haaretz reported. Axios reporter Barak Ravid shared on X that a Saudi official denied the claim, stating there had been no such breakthrough. "The notion that the kingdom's leadership has somehow modified its longstanding commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is equally baseless," the Saudi official said. "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to work towards ending the war in Gaza and helping the Palestinian people achieve their right to an independent state."

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide. He also stated that Saudi Arabia will not normalise relations with Israel unless a Palestinian state is recognised, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The crown prince, however, has "no personal interest in formal recognition of a Palestinian state and only requires progress on the issue to secure domestic political and religious support for the deal," according to sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who spoke to Haaretz.

The article in The Atlantic magazine that said Mohammed bin Salman informed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he personally does not care about what he called the "Palestinian issue" is echoed by the Haaretz report. "Seventy percent of my population is younger than me," he allegedly explained to Blinken. 

"For most of them, they never really knew much about the Palestinian issue. And so they're being introduced to it for the first time through this conflict. It's a huge problem. Do I care personally about the Palestinian issue? I don't, but my people do, so I need to make sure this is meaningful."  For several years, President Joe Biden's administration has been working to secure a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but it hasn't succeeded yet. With just a few weeks left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Biden has little time to finalise this important deal.

Meanwhile, indirect talks between Hamas and Israel are getting closer to a potential ceasefire agreement in Gaza. A Palestinian source told Middle East Eye on Monday that a "new dynamic" has emerged in the negotiations. They also denied reports from US and Israeli media claiming that Hamas had given up on its key demands, such as a permanent ceasefire, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the return of displaced people to their homes.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that a deal was "expected to be signed in coming days" according to sources. "Serious and positive discussions taking place in Doha" Tuesday, according to a brief statement from Hamas, and a settlement was "possible" if Israel ceased adding restrictions.