Negotiators have reached a deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East.
Qatar’s Prime Minister announced the agreement which outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
US President Joe Biden confirmed that a deal had been struck, saying it would see a surge in humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.
“During the next six weeks, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war. Let me say it again, a permanent end of the war,” Biden said.
The ceasefire will take effect on Sunday, 19 January and will see the release of 33 Israeli captives and the return of a number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Phase one of the deal entails the release of the Israeli hostages, including all women, children and men over 50.
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 stage 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.
As news spread of Israel’s agreement with Hamas, Israel said that several points in the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal still needed to be resolved but expected them to be “finalised tonight”.
“Several clauses in the framework remain unresolved, and we hope that the details will be finalised tonight,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Netanyahu’s office said that Hamas had made a “last minute” demand to change the deployment of Israeli forces in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor that runs along the Egypt-Gaza border.
“Due to the strong insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas folded on its last-minute demand to change the deployment of IDF (Israeli military) forces in the Philadelphi Corridor,” Netanyahu’s office said.
But celebrations were already underway in Gaza, where crowds of people were hugging and taking photos to mark the announcement.
“I can’t believe that this nightmare of more than a year is finally coming to an end. We have lost so many people, we’ve lost everything,” said Randa Sameeh, a 45-year-old displaced from Gaza City to the Nuseirat Camp in the centre of the territory.
In Gaza City, 27-year-old Abdul Karim said: “I feel joy despite everything we’ve lost.”
“I can’t believe I will finally see my wife and two children again,” he added. “They left for the south almost a year ago. I hope they allow the displaced to return quickly.”
‘The nightmare is over’
Families of Israeli hostages and their friends celebrated the deal in the streets of Tel Aviv.
“The Israeli government must stand by its aims to return all the hostages and ensure from Gaza there is no more threat to the state of Israel…so there won’t be other parents standing here, just like me, in one or two or three years, being interviewed about their kidnapped children,” said Tzvika Mor, the father of a captive in Gaza, told Israel’s Channel 12.
Family members of hostages held in Gaza celebrated in Tel Aviv after Israel and Hamas agreed on a hostage deal and ceasefire. Source: EPA / Abit Sultan
“I hope the nightmare is over,” said the father of one of the hostages held by Hamas, Edan Alexander.
“Whoever is getting the hostages back and fortunately for the families that are waiting for their loved ones to be buried in Israel, the nightmare is over as well.”
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attack in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government. More than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
This is a developing story and this article will be updated.
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