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Israel and Hamas they agreed historic ceasefire end 15 months of war Gazaa conflict in which almost 50,000 people were killed and which threatened draw throughout the Middle East.
The truce and the hostage agreement were reached after Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with Hamas negotiators and then with the Israelis. Qatar was a key mediator in this seeking to end the conflict. President-elect Donald Trump was quick to hail the end of the war, while a press conference in Doha later tonight is expected to officially confirm the deal.
The cost of the conflict was brutal. Triggered by a bloody attack by Hamas inside southern Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage, Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 46,700 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials. More than 110,000 people have been injured, and thousands more are feared buried in the rubble of the devastated enclave.
The UN estimates that about 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, often multiple times. Tens of thousands of homes are said to have been destroyed, and most hospitals are barely functioning or out of business. 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 conflict has spread across the Middle East, with Iranian-backed proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen attacking Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel killed top Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah leaders in assassinations that strengthened its negotiating position.
The deal comes after months of grueling negotiations that have often stalled or stalled altogether, with both sides accusing the other of sabotaging the talks. The only other respite during the war was a week-long truce in November 2023, during which more than 100 hostages were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Israel believes about 95 hostages are still inside Gaza, although a significant number of those captives are believed to be dead.
The new deal, hammered out with the help of Qatari, American and Egyptian negotiators, includes a phased ceasefire. In the first phase of 42 days, Hamas will release 33 hostages, including children, women – including female soldiers – and those over 50 years old. In exchange, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons for every Israeli soldier released by Hamas and 30 for other hostages.
Negotiations to implement the second phase will begin by the 16th day of the first phase and are 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 focus on the return of all remaining dead bodies and the beginning of the reconstruction of Gaza under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
Despite Trump’s jubilant posts on his social media platform Truth Social, Netanyahu’s office continued to insist that no deal had been reached and the final details had yet to be worked out. But the Israeli leader has repeatedly stalled on the deal, and US officials have countered his claims.
For months, pressure has been mounting on the Israeli leadership to end the war, and Western allies are increasingly concerned about the number of civilian casualties. However, Mr. Netanyahu has also faced pressure from hardline nationalists and far-right members of his ruling coalition, who have threatened to topple the government if a deal with Hamas goes through. Families of hostages still in Gaza have held nearly weekly rallies and other events, trying to get Netanyahu to bring their loved ones home.
Mr Trump’s inauguration has also sharpened talks, with the president-elect, a staunch ally of Israel, making it clear he does not want to deal with the conflict once he re-enters the White House on January 20. It was a rare moment of agreement with the outgoing administration of Joe Biden, another longtime ally of Mr. Netanyahu and Israel, who also wanted a deal before he leaves office.
Announcing the breakthrough, Trump said: “We have a hostage deal in the Middle East. They will be released soon. Thank you!”
Calling the deal “epic,” he sought to take the lion’s share of the credit, even though he was not yet in office. He added that he would work to ensure that Gaza “never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists.” Israel, the US and Great Britain have declared Hamas a terrorist organization.
The ceasefire agreement still needs to be approved by Mr Netanyahu’s cabinet in a vote expected on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to agree. The plan is for the truce to take effect in the coming days, and the hostages could be freed on Sunday.
In addition to freeing hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the deal would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. The goal would also be to rush the badly needed humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.
“The best day of my life and the life of the people of Gaza,” Abed Radwan, a Palestinian father of three, told the AP of the ceasefire agreement. “Thank God. Thank God.”
Mr Radwan, who has been displaced from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya and a shelter in Gaza City for more than a year, said he would try to return to his hometown, and “rebuild my house and rebuild Beit Lahiya”.
In Israel, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, calling for a deal. Many held posters of hostages held by Hamas, others blew up candles.
As the deal was announced, some people didn’t know it had gone through. Sharone Lifschitz, whose father, Oded, is being held hostage, said she is stunned and grateful, but won’t believe it until she sees them return home.
It remains unclear whether the deal will lead to a complete end to the war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a key demand by Hamas for the release of the remaining prisoners. Many long-term questions remain about post-war Gaza, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters in Ankara that the ceasefire agreement is good for regional stability, but that efforts towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must continue.
Israel has rejected any involvement in the future of Gaza by Hamas, which has ruled the strip since 2007, but has been almost equally opposed to the rule of the Palestinian Authority, a body established under the Oslo Interim Peace Accords three decades ago that limited governing power in the occupied West Bank. the coast.