Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last-minute snags in finalising the ceasefire.
Netanyahu said he would convene his security cabinet later today following which the government will approve the long-awaited hostage deal.
His pre-dawn statement comes as Israel continued to bomb Gaza, killing at least 72 Palestinians on Thursday.Meanwhile, some protesters in Jerusalem have rallied against the Gaza ceasefire deal, lighting bonfires and expressing their anger at what they say is an act of surrender.
But pro-ceasefire crowds in Israel embraced one another as news emerged that the momentous ceasefire and hostage deal had been agreed.
Coming into effect on Sunday, it will bring an end to 15-months of devastation in Gaza - which has seen more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, according to Palestinian authorities - and the release of the Israeli hostages that still live.
Negotiators successfully addressed last-minute issues which arose on Thursday, a US official told Axios.
Key Points
- Netanyahu says hostage release deal has been reached
- Israeli strikes kill more than 70 in Gaza in one day
- In pictures: Protestors in Jerusalem oppose ceasefire deal
- US ‘confident’ that last-minute snag will be sorted by Sunday
- 21 children among 77 killed since ceasefire deal, say Gaza officials
Israeli strikes kill more than 70 in Gaza in one day
03:10
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Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 72 Palestinians yesterday even as ceasefire talks with Hamas solidified.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip said the toll from yesterday’s strikes only includes bodies brought to two hospitals in Gaza City and the actual toll is likely higher.
“Yesterday was a bloody day, and today is bloodier,” said Zaher al-Wahedi, a health ministry official.
The Israeli military said it had struck approximately 50 militant targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, including weapons storage facilities and rocket launch sites.
Netanyahu says hostage release deal has been reached
03:06
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last-minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire that would pause 15 months of war.
Netanyahu said he would convene his security cabinet later today and then the government will approve the long-awaited hostage deal.
Netanyahu’s pre-dawn statement appeared to clear the way for Israeli approval of the deal, which would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and see dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The deal would also allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the remains of their homes in Gaza
‘Only when the last hostage is back can we start rebuilding Gaza’ - cousin of October 7 victim
02:45
,
Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
‘Only when the last hostage is back can we start rebuilding Gaza’ - cousin of October 7 victim
Udi Goren, the cousin of a civil engineer killed in the October 7 attack, says the only way to alleviate suffering on both sides is to bring back the hostages.
“It doesn’t matter where you stand politically, if you affiliate with Israel, if you care for the Palestinians, but we must realise that if you want to end suffering on both sides, the key, the first domino stone that would set this process, is bringing back all the hostages,” he said.
“Because only when the last hostage is back would hostilities end, would the war end, would we be able to start rebuilding Gaza.
“Their suffering might hopefully be finally alleviated, and Israelis would find solace and some comfort with having this knife off of our throats and start rebuilding within our own society.”
Iran says Gaza ceasefire is a ‘victory’ for Palestinian resistance
01:59
,
Alex Croft
The ceasefire in Gaza represents a “great victory” for the Palestinian resistance, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday, warning against any possible breach by Israel.
“The end of the war and the imposition of a ceasefire on the Zionist regime (Israel) is a clear and great victory for Palestine and a greater defeat for the Zionist regime,” a statement by the Guards said.
Iran and its allied non-state armed groups in the region such as Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have supported Hamas throughout the conflict.
“The resistance remains alive, thriving, strong and has deeper faith in the divine promise of liberating the al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem,” the Guards said, warning against any breach of the ceasefire by Israel and saying they maintain field preparations to confront “new wars and crimes.”
Israel should bear the primary cost of rehabilitating Gaza, says non profit
01:15
,
Alex Croft
An American non-profit working in the Middle East said Israel should bear the primary cost of reconstructing and rehabilitating the Gaza Strip as it was responsible for the devastation in the enclave.
“If the world again allows Israel to externalise the costs of its crimes in Gaza, nothing will dissuade it from repeating its belligerence and abuses,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now.
Raed Jarrar, the group’s advocacy director, added: “A ceasefire agreement does not mean that Israeli war criminals who orchestrated this genocide are off the hook, and we will continue to demand accountability for their crimes.”
“The international community should also hold US officials in the Biden administration accountable for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity with their ongoing support of Israel’s war machine.”
ICYMI: Hamas says ceasefire deal result of Palestinians’ ‘legendary resistance’
00:32
,
Alex Croft
Hamas hailed its ceasefire with Israel as the result of “the legendary resilience of our great Palestinian people and our valiant resistance in the Gaza Strip”.
“The agreement is a milestone in the conflict with the enemy, on the path to achieving our people’s goals of liberation and return,” the group said in a statement.
Khalil al-Hayyah, the acting head of Hamas’s political bureau and chief negotiator, said the ceasefire deal represents a “new phase” which will focus on Gaza rebuilding and recovering.
“We are able - with god’s help first - and then with the help of our brothers, siblings, loved ones and supporters, to rebuild Gaza again, alleviate the pain, heal the wounds,” he said in a speech shared online by Hamas.
He also congratulated the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who will be released in the first phase of the deal: “Our heroic prisoners have an appointment with the dawn of freedom.”
A year of war in Gaza: A timeline of key moments as ceasefire deal agreed
Thursday 16 January 2025 23:52
,
Alex Croft
Just days before US president Joe Biden is set to leave office, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal after a last-minute “breakthrough” in talks.
The Qatari prime minister announced the three-phase agreement, which is set to take effect on Sunday.
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis large crowds of joyful Palestinians have taken to the streets, with people cheering and honking car horns.
Agreement was reached after the Qatari prime minister separately met Hamas negotiators Israeli negotiators in his office, a source close to the negotiations told The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Alexander Butler and Tom Watling report:
Watch: Palestinians take to streets of Gaza’s Khan Younis to celebrate Hamas ceasefire
Thursday 16 January 2025 23:10
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Alex Croft
‘We welcome ceasefire, but the catastrophe persists’ - Israeli rights group
Thursday 16 January 2025 22:33
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Alex Croft
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has welcomed the ceasefire deal - but says “the catastrophe persists” with many in Gaza remaining “destitute, starving and homeless”.
“A ceasefire is only the first step, and one that should have happened long ago,” the group said. “There is a real concern that Israel will resume fighting after the first phase of the deal is complete.
The international community must ensure Israel stops the war “completely and permanently”, B’Tselem said.
“Israeli decision-makers responsible for serious violations of the laws of war and for crimes against humanity must be held accountable, and all Israeli violence against the Palestinian people in the entire area between the Jordan and the Mediterranean must cease.
“The only way to break the cycle of bloodshed is to end the occupation, oppression, and apartheid regime and ensure the human rights of everyone living in this space.”
Islamic Relief: ‘The big test is what happens next’
Thursday 16 January 2025 21:58
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Alex Croft
Islamic Relief has welcomed a “rare moment of hope” after “15 months of unprecedented and relentless atrocities”.
But it says that the “big test will be what happens next, whether it is adhered to, and whether a temporary pause becomes permanent”.
“For almost 500 days Israel has carried out daily massacres, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and starvation against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as pleas for a ceasefire have been ignored,” the organisation said.
“Even as these negotiations entered the final stage, dozens more Palestinians have been killed in just the past 24 hours as Israeli bombs continued to rain down on shelters.
“We pray this stops now. It’s vital that this agreement is now fully and immediately implemented, and that the initial temporary pause becomes a permanent ceasefire.”
In pictures: Protestors in Jerusalem oppose ceasefire deal
Thursday 16 January 2025 21:34
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Alex Croft
Protesters in Jerusalem have rallied against the Gaza ceasefire deal, which they say is an act of surrender.
The Israeli cabinet will convene on Friday morning to vote on the deal, after negotiators overcame a snag in the deal on Thursday, after it was first announced on Wednesday.
Bonfires were lit in the streets as anti-ceasefire protesters were dragged on the floor by Israeli police.
Demonstrators protest in Jerusalem against ceasefire deal
Thursday 16 January 2025 21:23
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Alex Croft
A group representing some families of soldiers killed fighting in Gaza held a demonstration in Jerusalem on Thursday against a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Gvura Forum opposes the deal, saying it will not lead to Hamas’ destruction and that it will free Palestinians convicted of deadly crimes against Israelis. The agreement could also leave some Israeli hostages behind in Gaza if it collapses, the group said.
The group set up rows of mock coffins draped in the Israeli flag in Jerusalem to symbolize the price Israel will pay if it agrees to the deal.
“It’s a very dangerous deal,” said Yehoshua Shani, whose son Ori Mordehai Shani was killed in battle in southern Israel on 7 October, 2023. He believed the incoming Trump administration could exert more pressure on Hamas and secure better terms.
Many Israelis support a ceasefire deal that would bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza. But some families of fallen soldiers and of hostages oppose any agreement that they perceive grants too many concessions to Hamas.
Oxfam blames UK leaders for Gaza suffering
Thursday 16 January 2025 21:22
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Alex Croft
Oxfam GB chief executive Halima Begum said: “With all of Gaza at risk of famine, one of the key priorities must be the immediate and unrestricted flow of life-saving aid to reach those in need, as well as the safe release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees.
“The immense suffering Israel has inflicted on Gaza has happened under the watch and protection of world leaders, including the UK.
“Despite acknowledging that Israeli actions have regularly contravened international humanitarian law, the UK government continued to help fuel the conflict by allowing arms sales.
“This temporary pause does not negate the UK’s legal obligations. It should still immediately suspend all remaining arms licences to Israel.”
‘They should be ashamed as human beings and Jews’ - cousin of October 7 victim on far-right cabinet members
Thursday 16 January 2025 20:48
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Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
‘They should be ashamed as human beings and Jews’ - cousin of October 7 victim on far-right cabinet members
Udi Goren, the cousin of an October 7 victim, has torn into far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and policing minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who opposed the ceasefire.
They should be “ashamed of themselves as human beings, as politicians and Jews”, he said. The far-right pair, who lead the extremist and hawkish elements of Israel’s governing coalition led by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposed the ceasefire deal which was agreed on Wednesday.
The hostages were taken “on their shift, when they were responsible,” Mr Goren added. “They were part of the government that had the strategy that led to October 7, they have been part of the government running this war since 7 October and they haven’t found a single different solution in bringing the hostages back.
“Now there is a solution bringing them back, and [Smotrich and Ben Gvir] are saying they are opposed to it.
“At this point, saying you stand between parents seeing their child for the first time in 15 months, something that could happen in 3 days, who are you? What kind of person are you? It’s beyond me.”
David Lammy: Ceasefire has taken ‘far too long’
Thursday 16 January 2025 20:16
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Alex Croft
I sincerely hope this ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is now the basis of progress towards a better future for all.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) January 16, 2025
Read my Statement to @HouseofCommons: https://t.co/06Mkl7GVYZ pic.twitter.com/8WS7WbT2ns
‘We’re counting the seconds to peace... the bombing hasn’t stopped’ - Inside Gaza
Thursday 16 January 2025 19:44
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Alex Croft
Anxious civilians in Gaza are “counting the seconds” until a ceasefire is enforced, as Israeli airstrikes continued pound the besieged Strip, killing dozens of people, according to local health officials.
International diplomats and mediators scrambled to salvage the truce between the Hamas militant group and Israel, which was announced by US President Joe Biden and the Qatari leadership on Wednesday.
Despite a wobble when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had attempted to “extort last-minute concessions”, the deal appeared back on track on Thursday night and due to be ratified on Friday with fighting set to cease on Sunday.
In war-ravaged Gaza, the health ministry said waves of Israeli airstrikes continued in the meantime, killing 77 people—half of them women and children.
Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv, alongside Nedal Hamdouna:
Kamala Harris speaks with Jordanian king and Israeli president
Thursday 16 January 2025 19:22
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Alex Croft
US vice president Kamala Harris has spoken with King Abdullah II of Jordan and stressed that the ceasefire is expected to be “implemented fully and on schedule”.
Ms Harris has sought to end this war such that “ Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination”, a statement from the White House said.
“The Vice President expressed appreciation for Jordan’s role in helping to facilitate aid to Palestinian civilians and the King’s leadership in advancing regional peace and stability,” it added.
Ms Harris also spoke with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in their twelfth conversation since taking office.
Why the ceasefire hostage deal is stumbling at the final hurdle
Thursday 16 January 2025 19:01
,
Sam Kiley, World Affairs Editor
Is Trump right to take credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?
Thursday 16 January 2025 18:42
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump wasted little time in taking credit for the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, bringing a halt to the violence in Gaza after 15 months of brutal conflict.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” the president-elect wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.
“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
ICYMI: ‘Is that a joke?’ - Biden asked if Trump should receive more credit for ceasefire
Thursday 16 January 2025 18:22
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Alex Croft
Attacks on Israel will continue if strikes on Gaza continue - Houthi leader
Thursday 16 January 2025 18:03
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Alex Croft
The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebel group says strikes on Israel will continue as long as Israel continues escalating strikes on Gaza before implementing a ceasefire.
The Houthis will monitor developments over the coming days will continue its operations if Israeli “genocide” continues, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said.
Global funding needed for $10 billion Gaza healthcare rebuild - WHO
Thursday 16 January 2025 17:41
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Alex Croft
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for the international community to fund a scaled-up aid response to Gaza, with a ceasefire soon set to end 15 months of brutal war.
It will cost around $3 billion for the next year and $10 billion in the next six or seven years to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system, Mr Peeperkorn estimated.
"The UN cannot deliver the response alone," said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, in a virtual press conference on Thursday.
Member states, donors and the private sector should help support the urgent health needs and long-term rebuilding of Gaza’s healthcare system.
As part of the ceasefire deal, which is set to be implemented from Sunday, 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza every day.
The “significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza" need to be removed, Mr Peeperkorn added.
Israeli cabinet to convene Friday morning - report
Thursday 16 January 2025 17:17
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Alex Croft
The Israeli cabinet is set to convene on Friday morning and is expected to approve the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, an Israeli official has said.
It comes after mediators have tried to address a final sticking point in negotiations, regarding the identities of several prisoners which Hamas is demanding be released, according to a US official.
But the dispute has now been resolved, a US official told global affairs correspondent at Axios, Barak Ravid.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier accused Hamas of reneging on the deal, prompting a senior Hamas official to reiterate the group’s commitment to the deal agreed on Wednesday.
The Israeli cabinet is expected to convene on Friday morning and approve the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Israeli official says https://t.co/Lo8HuN7Fps
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 16, 2025
Join an ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Middle East with our senior US correspondent
Thursday 16 January 2025 17:14
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Alex Croft
Join a Reddit ‘ask me anything’ with our senior US correspondent and a former Middle East correspondent Richard Hall.
From 5pm until 6pm (12-1pm EST), Richard will be answering all your questions on what president-elect Donald Trump’s second term will mean for the Middle East.
Comment | I’m in Gaza – I worry Israel will kill us before the ceasefire begins
Thursday 16 January 2025 17:07
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Alex Croft
In Sheikh Radwan, in northern Gaza, we have been starving and waiting. The next few days leading up to a possible ceasefire feel more dangerous than ever for us Palestinians. Everyone is holding their breath, hoping to live long enough to see the good news realised. We have already seen Israel dropping bombs and killing 46 people since the ceasefire was announced.
For the past 15 months, hoping for a ceasefire has been one of the only things I can do. I have grown used to counting days since the start of this horror: counting the days since I was last able to get flour. I also count the days of our lives.
Ammar Kaskeen writes from northern Gaza:
What happens over the next three days as ceasefire deal hangs in the balance
Thursday 16 January 2025 16:48
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Alex Croft
This is the moment when a political drama turns into a desperate horror movie. Some 94 human beings, among them children, remain held in a city under constant bombardment, hungry, terrified and literally in the dark while their lives are horse traded.
Hopes that their 15 month ordeal would finally come to an end came on Wednesday night after bold words from US and Qatari officials proclaiming a deal had been reached.
Under an agreement that the US, Hamas, lead mediators Qatar, and most Israelis believed had been done and dusted, 33 hostages were due to be released from Hamas imprisonment in return for dozens of Palestinians held by Israel over the next six weeks.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Blinken heckled by journalist during briefing
Thursday 16 January 2025 16:29
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Alex Croft
During a briefing on the Gaza ceasefire deal, US secretary of state Antony Blinken was heckled by someone who appeared to be a journalist as he thanked reporters in the room for holding the US government to account.
“Reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs. Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal? Everyone in this room knows we had a deal, Tony, and you kept the bombs flowing,” the heckler said.
Mr Blinken responded: “I’m happy to address your questions when we get to the questions, thank you.”
The heckler continued: “Why did you allow my friends to be massacred? How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?”
Directed towards state department spokesperson Matt Miller, the heckler added: “You too Matt, you smirked through the whole thing, every day. You smirked through a genocide.”
Leading children’s charity ‘utterly appalled’ by Israeli attacks after ceasefire deal
Thursday 16 January 2025 16:21
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Alex Croft
A leading UK children’s charity has said it is “utterly appalled” by Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza after an agreement was reached for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Since the announcement ofthe ceasefire deal - which is due to be implemented from Sunday - 77 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks, the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said. Of those killed, 21 were children and 25 women, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense told CNN.
"We are utterly appalled at Israel’s ongoing bombing of Gaza, which continues to claim children’s lives in spite of yesterday’s agreement. This must end now.,” said Kathleen Spencer Chapman, the director of Influencing and External Affairs at Plan International UK.
“It is critical that the ceasefire announced yesterday is immediately ratified and implemented by all parties. The children of Gaza are in dire need of food, water, and shelter – and we are in a race against time to reach them. Hunger, dehydration, and disease kill just as surely as bullets and bombs, and every hour wasted places more children’s lives at risk.
"After 15 months of unimaginable violence, the children of Gaza finally have a moment of hope. It is time to put an end to this horror and support Gaza’s families to rebuild their lives and homes. There must be no further delays."
Watch live: Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on Gaza Ceasefire deal
Thursday 16 January 2025 16:06
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Alex Croft
21 children killed since ceasefire deal, Gaza official says
Thursday 16 January 2025 16:02
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Alex Croft
A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense has said 21 children are among the 77 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes since a ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday.
There are also 25 women among the dead, spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told CNN. More than 250 others were injured, he added.
Biden and Trump’s envoys working on last-minute agreement snag
Thursday 16 January 2025 15:41
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Alex Croft
US envoys are working to resolve a last-minute glitch which surfaced on Thursday regarding the details of the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal, an official has said.
The dispute relates to the identities of several prisoners which Hamas is demanding be released as part of the deal, the official said, adding that the deal is expected to be resolved soon.
The Middle East envoys of president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump, Brett McGurk and Steve Witkoff, are both working on the issue in Doha with Qatari and Egyptian negotiators.
In separate remarks, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said: "We’re aware of these issues and we are working through them with the Israeli government, as well as other partners in the region. We are confident these implementing details can be hammered out and that the deal will move forward this weekend.”
Reached on Wednesday, the agreement is supposed to begin to be implemented on Sunday.
In pictures: Israeli attacks on Gaza continue days before ceasefire
Thursday 16 January 2025 15:32
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Alex Croft
Israel targets site where hostage is held after ceasefire, Hamas says
Thursday 16 January 2025 15:14
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Alex Croft
Israel has targeted a site in Gaza where a female hostage is being held after a ceasefire deal was reached, spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Thursday.
“After announcing the agreement, the enemy army targeted a place where one of the female prisoners of the first stage of the ceasefire deal was located,” Obeida said.
“Any aggression and shelling at this stage by the enemy could turn the freedom of a prisoner into a tragedy.”
The report has not been independently verified.
‘Gaza destruction does not make Israel’s situation better’ - cousin of October 7 victim
Thursday 16 January 2025 15:08
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Alex Croft
The destruction of Gaza by Israeli forces does not make the situation “in Israel any better”, the cousin of October victim Tal Haimi said.
“I take zero pleasure in seeing what’s happening in Gaza,” Udi Goren said. “I take zero pleasure in the suffering of Gaza and civilians. I take zero pleasure in seeing the destruction and what is happening on the other side of the fence. I don’t think this makes my situation personally or in Israel any better.”
‘They should be ashamed as human beings and Jews’ - cousin of October 7 victim on far-right cabinet members
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:54
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Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
Udi Goren, the cousin of an October 7 victim, has torn into far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and policing minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who opposed the ceasefire.
They should be “ashamed of themselves as human beings, as politicians and Jews”, he said. The far-right pair, who lead the extremist and hawkish elements of Israel’s governing coalition led by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposed the ceasefire deal which was agreed on Wednesday.
The hostages were taken “on their shift, when they were responsible,” Mr Goren added. “They were part of the government that had the strategy that led to October 7, they have been part of the government running this war since 7 October and they haven’t found a single different solution in bringing the hostages back.
“Now there is a solution bringing them back, and [Smotrich and Ben Gvir] are saying they are opposed to it.
“At this point, saying you stand between parents seeing their child for the first time in 15 months, something that could happen in 3 days, who are you? What kind of person are you? It’s beyond me.”
‘Only when the last hostage is back can we start rebuilding Gaza' - cousin of October 7 victim
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:46
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Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
Udi Goren, the cousin of a civil engineer killed in the October 7 attack, says the only way to alleviate suffering on both sides is to bring back the hostages.
“It doesn’t matter where you stand politically, if you affiliate with Israel, if you care for the Palestinians, but we must realise that if you want to end suffering on both sides, the key, the first domino stone that would set this process, is bringing back all the hostages,” he said.
“Because only when the last hostage is back would hostilities end, would the war end, would we be able to start rebuilding Gaza.
“Their suffering might hopefully be finally alleviated, and Israelis would find solace and some comfort with having this knife off of our throats and start rebuilding within our own society.”
A ‘whirlwind of emotions’ amid the ‘most stressful days’ - cousin of October 7 victim
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:42
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Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
Udi Goren’s cousin, Tal Haimi, was killed in the October 7 attack, and his body is still being held by Hamas.
He has described recent days as the “most stressful days we have experienced in over a year”, since the last ceasefire deal was made in November 2023.
“We’re hearing voices coming out of the Israeli government opposing it. And we now hear that Hamas is trying to get new conditions in the deal.
“Because this deal is so intricate, so elaborate there are dozens of thousands of details. They had to seal every single detail in step one in order to make this happen, in order to create a momentum of a deal. Once we are in that then they will move into finalising steps 2 and step 3,” he said.
“This makes my family and many other families find ourselves in this whirlwind of emotions.”
Who are remaining hostages and when might they be freed?
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:40
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Tara Cobham
More than a year after Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023 – killing around 1,200 people and taking another 250 captive – 94 hostages still remain, although Israel believe around a third are dead.
The official Israeli figure for the total number of people still held in Gaza is 98, although this also includes four who were taken in 2014 and 2015, with two of those believed to be dead. A ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday promises the release of the hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant factions in Gaza.
The first stage of the ceasefire will last six weeks and see “a full and complete ceasefire” while 33 hostages in Gaza and up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel would be freed. The hostages released will include women, the elderly and the sick.
Read more here:
Hamas added further demands after deal was agreed - Israeli spokesperson
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:21
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Alex Croft
Hamas has “added further demands” which have contradicted elements of the initial deal, an Israeli government spokesperson has said in a briefing.
The Palestinian group has “reneged on this hostage release agreement and has created a last minute crisis in an effort to extort last minute concessions,” spokesperson David Mercer said, adding that the Israeli cabinet therefore “cannot meet to agree this deal”.
Mr Mercer continued: “The negotiating team is continuing its efforts to reach a conclusion,” he added saying that negotiators were still in Doha. “No official announcement will be made by Israel about the success of these negotiations and the subsequent cabinet meeting until we…. have a finalised agreement.”
“Hamas have made changes even after the agreement was agreed. The mediators know this and confirmed this as well, and they are trying to extract further compromises from Israel.
“This hostage release, if it happens… the primary function of this hostage release deal is to get our people home,” he said in reply to a question about what changes Hamas were trying to make. He did not elaborate any further on the details.
“Hamas have been making changes to the agreement which has already been agreed.”
ActionAid says nurse at partner hospital killed with family when home hit in Gaza
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:20
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Tara Cobham
A member of staff at one of ActionAid’s partner hospitals has been killed alongside her family when their home was hit in Gaza, the charity has said, as it calls for a ceasefire deal to be implemented immediately so that humanitarian aid can be brought into the Strip.
Fatin Shaqoura-Salha, the Chief of Nursing Staff at Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat, run by ActionAid’s partner Al-Awda, died along with her husband and their children in a strike in the enclave on Wednesday, said ActionAid.
It comes after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, but as attacks reportedly continue across Gaza, with the finer points of the deal still being negotiated, and the agreement not set to take effect until Sunday.
ActionAid said more than 1,000 healthworkers have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023 amid ongoing attacks on hospitals.
Tasneem, who works with Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), ActionAid’s partner in the Strip, sent the charity this message: “I can’t fathom how those who are now killed were, just hours ago, clinging to hope awaiting the long overdue news of a ceasefire.
“Thousands lost their lives and dreams because the ceasefire did not come for over 15 months. With every minute of delay, entire families are being erased. Not just from life, but from the records of existence. Every passing minute matters. And every moment we lose means more innocent lives are being killed. So... ceasefire now.”
Starmer calls ceasefire deal ‘huge relief’ for hostages as well as Gazans after months of war
Thursday 16 January 2025 14:00
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Tara Cobham
Keir Starmer has called the ceasefire deal in Gaza a “huge relief” for the hostages and their families as well as those in Gaza who have endured 15 months of war.
The UK prime minister also called for much-needed humanitarian aid to now be enabled to enter the Strip, the BBC reported, saying the agreement “must be used to get desperately needed aid in, at scale and at speed”.
Starmer was speaking during his first visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv earlier today, adding he hopes the truce will bring a “lasting peace” involving a two-state solution.
Death toll in Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 77 since ceasefire deal, residents say
Thursday 16 January 2025 13:50
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Tara Cobham
Israel airstrikes killed at least 77 people in Gaz