Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal and hostage release, mediators announced on Wednesday.
This means pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.
The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.
It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.
Three officials from the US and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while a senior Israeli official said details are still being ironed out.
All three US officials requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha.
President Joe Biden was preparing to address the breakthrough agreement later Thursday, officials said.
Any agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal and hostage release, mediators announced on Wednesday
Palestinians react as they wait for news of a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025
An Israeli Black Hawk military helicopter lands inside North Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas on January 14
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025
Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children, and men over 50-years-old as part of the initial six-week ceasefire deal.
In exchange, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails for every Israeli female soldier released by Hamas and 30 for other hostages.
Negotiations on implementing the second phase will begin by the 16th day of phase one and it is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third phase is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.
As news of the possible ceasefire deal was announced, there were reports of Palestinians celebrating in Khan Younis in Gaza.
US President-elect Donald Trump also confirmed the deal in a statement to his Truth Social platform.
‘We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!’ he wrote.
It comes after President Joe Biden – in the final days of his presidency – said a deal was ‘on the brink’.
Implementation of the agreement will be agreed by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
As news of the possible ceasefire deal was announced, there were reports of Palestinians celebrating in Khan Younis in Gaza
Israeli military vehicles move inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, on January 7
Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and destructive war they’ve ever fought, a conflict that has destabilised the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
In Israel, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening, calling for a deal to be completed.
Many held posters of hostages held by Hamas, others hoisted candles in the air.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said he was determined to destroy Hamas after the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 people and seized about 250 hostages when they entered Israel from Gaza on 7 October 2023.
The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, have brokered months of indirect talks between the bitter enemies that finally culminated in this latest deal.
It comes after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November, after more than a year of conflict linked to the war in the Gaza.
Israel responded with a brutal air and ground offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
Relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza gather in front of the Ministry of Defense to hold demonstration demanding a ceasefire and a hostage swap agreement in Gaza yesterday
They do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.
UN and international relief organisations estimate that some 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times.
They say tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and hospitals are barely functioning.
Experts have warned that famine may be underway in northern Gaza, where Israel launched a major offensive in early October, displacing tens of thousands of residents.
‘The best day in my life and the life of the Gaza people,’ Abed Radwan, a Palestinian father of three, said of the ceasefire deal. ‘Thank God. Thank God.’
Radwan, who has been displaced from the town of Beit Lahiya for over a year and shelters in Gaza City, said he will try to return to his hometown, and ‘rebuild my house, and rebuild Beit Lahiya.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.