U.S. envoy Witkoff to meet Israeli, Qatari officials in Rome in Gaza ceasefire push

• Witkoff made it clear to the parties in recent weeks that he will join the talks in Doha only if a deal is close at hand.
• But sources with knowledge of the issue said that the meeting in Rome is a signal that a deal might be a matter of days away.

The intrigue: Witkoff is expected to depart for Rome on Wednesday and arrive on Thursday for a meeting with Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and a senior Qatari envoy.

• It will be a follow-up to a similar meeting between the three at the White House two weeks ago.
• If sufficient progress is made, Witkoff will travel from Rome to Doha toward the end of the week to try and seal the deal, according to a U.S. source and an Israeli source familiar with the details.

What to watch: Israel and mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. are waiting for Hamas' response to the latest proposal.

• Hamas was expected to give its response on Tuesday night Doha time, sources say. In recent days the Qatari mediators have pressed Hamas not to reopen any of the issues that have been negotiated so that the parties can move to a deal.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.