President-elect Donald Trump is taking credit as Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal in a significant breakthrough which includes the release of Israeli hostages.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The agreement, brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, will pause a conflict that has lasted for 15 months and seen the deaths of more than 46,000 people in Gaza.
The deal includes the planned limited withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid.
The first stage of the deal includes the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
According to Israeli officials, 98 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza and about 60 of them are alive. Seven of the hostages are Americans.
Barak Ravid of Axios noted on CNN that President Joe Biden’s and Trump’s envoys worked closely together during the transition, making the deal possible.
Key Points
- Report: Israel and Hamas agree historic Gaza ceasefire deal after 15 months of war
- Trump claims credit for ceasefire agreement
- In pictures: Israelis react to ceasefire and hostage release deal
- Israeli government to vote on Gaza deal on Thursday, says official
- Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal reached, source tells The Independent
Oxfam blames UK leaders for Gaza suffering
19:56
Jane Dalton
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.”
Keir Starmer: Ceasefire is ‘long-overdue’ after ‘devastating bloodshed'
19:19
Alex Croft
UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has also been speaking after news emerged of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
“After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for,” Mr Starmer said. “They have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023.
“The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families. But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home – including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them.
“For the innocent Palestinians whose homes turned into a warzone overnight and the many who have lost their lives, this ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza. And then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people – grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state.
“The UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of these crucial efforts to break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace in the Middle East.”
‘Very good afternoon’, says Biden
19:15
Alex Croft
Speaking from the White House not long after news of the agreement became public, Biden said it was “a very good afternoon” because he could announce the ceasefire agreement had been reached.
Biden said the deal would end “more than 15 months of conflict” that began with the “brutal assault” on Israel, as well as “more than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families and the Israeli people,” and “more than 15 months of suffering by the innocent people of Gaza.”
The three-phase agreement would kick off with what Biden called “a full and complete cease fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza and and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded” during a six-week period that would also see the release of all Americans held by Hamas over the last year and three months.
He added that he and Vice President Kamala Harris “cannot wait” to welcome those American hostages home.
Biden also said the six-week ceasefire period would give time for Israel and Hamas to “negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war,” by hammering out “a number of details.”
But he stressed that the ceasefire would continue past the six-week period if the negotiations take longer than six weeks.
The second phase of the deal would involve releasing “all remaining living hostages,” and a withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. At that point, the ceasefire would become permanent, Biden said.
‘Palestinians have gone through hell’ - Biden
19:13
Alex Croft
US president Joe Biden has said the Palestinian people have “gone through hell” in the past 15 monthss.
Speaking outside The White House, he said: “The Palestinian people have gone through hell. Too many innocent people have died. Too many communities have been destroyed. With this deal, the people of Gaza can finally recover and rebuild.”
American hostages will be freed in first phase of ceasefire - Biden
19:11
Alex Croft
US president Joe Biden has confirmed that American hostages will be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinians will be able to return to neighbourhoods in all areas of Gaza, Mr Biden added. He described the deal as one of the hardest foreign policy negotiations he has ever been part of.
“There was no other way for this war to end other than a hostage deal, and i’m deeply satisfied this day has come,” Mr Biden told reporters.
Watch live: Biden makes a statement on Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement
19:06
Alex Croft
Report: Biden says Israel, Hamas have reached ceasefire deal after ‘intensive diplomacy’
19:03
Alex Croft
The 15-month-old war that began with the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel by Hamas will come to an end with a ceasefire deal brokered by the United States with the aid of the Egyptian and Qatari governments, President Joe Biden has said.
In a statement, the president said the agreement had been the product of “intense diplomacy” and would “halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.”
The agreement provides for the release of dozens of living hostages still held by Hamas — plus the remains of hostages who’ve died in captivity — in phases, while Israel will in turn release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and permit the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who’ve been forced from their homes to return.
The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
Ceasefire deal to begin on Sunday
19:00
Alex Croft
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is due to begin on Sunday, the prime minister of Qatar has said.
The first phase of the agreement will go on for 42 days, including a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the east, away from populated areas, he said in a press conference in Doha.
In full: President Biden issues statement on Gaza ceasefire
18:56
Alex Croft
US president Joe Biden has said “intensive diplomacy” has seen a ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas.
The president’s statement said: “Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.
“I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council. It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.
“Even as we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in Hamas’s October 7th attack, and the many innocent people killed in the war that followed. It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin. I am also if thinking of the American families, three of whom have living hostages in Gaza and four awaiting return of remains after what has been the most horrible ordeal imaginable. Under this deal, we are determined to bring all of them home.
“I will speak more about this soon. For now, I am thrilled that those who have been held hostage are being reunited with their families.”
Qatari PM holding press conference
18:51
Alex Croft
The prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, is currently holding a press conference about the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
We’ll bring you the latest lines as he announces details of the deal.
Everything we know about the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas
18:41
Alex Croft
Negotiators have reached a phased deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, an official said, after 15 months of conflict.
The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the final details of the ceasefire deal were still being confirmed.
Here is everything we know so far about the details of the ceasefire:
Israel to withdraw from Philadelphi Corridor within 50 days of ceasefire plan
18:32
Alex Croft
Israel has agreed to withdraw its forces from the Philadelphi Corridor no later than day 50 of Gaza ceasefire plan, Reuters has reported after seeing a copy of the deal.
The corridor is the ribbon of land - 100 metres wide and 14 kilometres long - which separates Gaza from Egypt.
Israeli withdrawal from the corridor had proven one of the final stumbling blocks in negotiations between Hamas and Israel, with Egypt demanding Israel pull out after the corridor was seized in May.
In a statement denying a ceasefire deal had been reached, the office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had backed down in its demands about the strip.
"In light of Prime Minister Netanyahu's firm stance, Hamas has backed down on its demand at the last minute to change the deployment of forces on the Philadelphi axis.
"However, there are still several unresolved clauses in the outline, and we hope that the details will be finalized tonight,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
A year of war in Gaza: A timeline of key moments
18:25
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.
An official close to the negotiations said a text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha.
Agreement was reached after the Qatari prime minister’s separately met Hamas negotiators Israeli negotiators in his office, a source close to the negotiations told The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley.
The US, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly tried to secure a ceasefire ever since the conflict began on 7 October 2023, with both Israel and Hamas rejecting multiple draft proposals.
Finally, after 15 months of war, a truce has been settled upon.
Alexander Butler and Tom Watling bring a timeline of the Gaza war’s key moments:
UN: We will deliver as much aid as conditions allow
18:15
Alex Croft
The United Nations will only deliver as much humanitarian aid as “the conditions on the ground allow”, a UN aid spokesperson has said following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
"The removal of the various impediments the U.N. has been facing during the last year, which include restrictions on the entry of goods; the lack of safety and security; the breakdown of law and order; and the lack of fuel, is a must," said Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN and its partners have been working to develop a coordinated plan to scale up the Gaza aid operation, Ms Kaneko added.
In pictures: Celebrations and vigils as Palestinians and Israelis react to ceasefire
18:12
Alex Croft
Netanyahu’s office says deal still not reached
18:06
Alex Croft
The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a ceasefire deal with Hamas has still not been reached.
Final details are still being sorted out in the agreement, the office said according to Associated Press.
But it comes after US sources and Hamas officials said a deal has been agreed - and follows months of facing accusations of Netanyahu dragging his feet over a ceasefire deal.
Greens: Ceasefire must see ‘root causes of conflict’ addressed
18:02
Alex Croft
The Green Party has welcomed the news of the ceasefire, describing it as a “vital step to halt the devastating violence” that has caused “unimaginable suffering”.
“While this agreement offers hope, it must mark the beginning of addressing the root causes of the conflict. The ongoing occupation, the siege of Gaza, and systemic violations of Palestinian rights cannot continue,” foreign affairs spokesperson Ellie Chowns said.
Ms Chowns called on the UK government to formally recognise the State of Palestine and suspend all arms to the Israeli military.
“True peace requires justice, dignity, and equality for all people in the region. This is a moment for global leaders to act with courage and commitment, working towards a future where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace, free from fear, violence, and oppression,” she added.
Comment | Peace has finally come to Gaza… but at a terrible price
17:53
Alex Croft
Great relief, then, at the Gaza ceasefire, such as it is – but also great sadness.
There is no real reason why this deal, or something very like it, couldn’t have been concluded when president Joe Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken first put it on the table last May. The “sticking points” that were obvious then haven’t materially differed in the many months since.
But the price of delay has been paid by untold thousands of dead and injured civilians, the continuing pain of the hostages’ families, and the transformation of the poor but busy enclave of Gaza into a desolate, uninhabitable moonscape.
The greatest of the tragedies have been inflicted on the children. It seems obvious that war crimes have been committed, just as surely as what triggered this particular phase in the Middle East on October 7th 2023 was a terrorist atrocity and an act of war.
Sean O’Grady writes:
Ed Davey: UK must help ensure this is not a ‘temporary truce’
17:45
Alex Croft
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has the UK must work to ensure this does not turn out to be a “temporary truce”.
"The announcement of a ceasefire is, at last, a moment of hope after many months of darkness and despair for the region,” Mr Davey said/
"As this ceasefire comes into effect, Palestinians will hope that the killing will now stop. Israeli hostages will finally be returned to their loved ones again after being held in captivity for fifteen months. The work of flooding Gaza with the aid which it has desperately needed for months must begin in earnest.
"Now, it is incumbent on the UK and the entire international community to do all it can to ensure that this ceasefire does not turn out to be a temporary truce. Otherwise we will not be able to get the remaining hostages home and finally alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Watch live: Israeli hostage families react as Hamas accepts ceasefire deal to end war
17:42
Alex Croft
Watch live as Israeli hostage families react following reports Hamas has accepted a ceasefire deal to end the war on Wednesday (15 January).
The deal was reached after the Qatari prime minister met Hamas and Israeli negotiators in his office, a source close to the negotiations has told The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
It came after a Hamas source said the group’s leader, Khalil Al Hayya, had delivered approval for the ceasefire agreement to mediators in Qatar.
Qatar is set to give an update this evening after days of intense negotiations. The Gulf state’s foreign ministry will hold a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, where a truce is being hammered out by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
In pictures: Israelis react to ceasefire and hostage release deal
17:40
Alex Croft
Trump claims credit for ceasefire agreement
17:32
Alex Croft
President-elect Donald Trump has claimed credit for the ceasefire agreement made between Israel and Hamas, hailing it as an “epic ceasefire agreement”.
He wrote on Truth Social: “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. 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. We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!
“We have achieved so much without even being in the White House. Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my Administration is fully confirmed, so they can secure more Victories for the United States!”
Ceasefire an important step for regional stability, says Turkey
17:27
Alex Croft
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, to end the 15-month war in Gaza, is an important step for regional stability, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan has said.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Mr Fidan said Turkey will continue to push for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli government to vote on Gaza deal on Thursday, says official
17:19
Alex Croft
The Israeli knesset will vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal on Thursday, a government official said according to Reuters.
The vote will confirm whether Israel will go ahead with the ceasefire.
Report: Israel and Hamas agree historic Gaza ceasefire deal after 15 months of war
17:15
Alex Croft
Israel and Hamas have agreed an historic ceasefire to end 15 months of war in Gaza, The Independent understands, a conflict in which almost 50,000 people have been killed and has threatened to draw the whole of the Middle East in.
The truce and hostage deal was reached after the prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, meting with Hamas negotiators and then separately the Israelis. Qatar has been a key mediator in seeking to end the conflict.
Triggered by a bloody attack by Hamas inside southern Israel on 7 October in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage, Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza has left more than 46,000 Palestinians dead, the majority women and children according to Palestinian officials. More than 110,000 people have been injured, and thousands of others are feared buried in the rubble of the devastated enclave.
The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew and world affairs editor Sam Kiley report:
In pictures: Palestinians take to the street to celebrate ceasefire deal
17:12
Alex Croft
Trump: Hostages will be released shortly
17:09
Alex Croft
US president-elect Donald Trump has sayd the hostages will be “released shorty”, after news emerged that a ceasefire deal has been reached between Hamas and Israel.
On his social media site Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote: “We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!”
Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal reached, source tells the Independent
17:00
Alex Croft
A Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal has been reached, a source close to the negotiations has told The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
It comes following the Qatari prime minister’s meeting with Hamas negotiators, and separately Israeli negotiators, in his office.
Everything we know about the draft ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas
16:59
Alex Croft
Israel and Hamas agree ceasefire, official brief on deal says
16:54
Alex Croft
Israel and Hamas have reached a Gaza ceasefire deal designed to end the 15-month war following the conclusion of talks in Qatar, an official briefed on the deal has told Reuters.
The agreement follows months of negotiations brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States.
US official says Gaza ceasefire has been reached - report
16:40
Alex Croft
A Gaza ceasefire has been reached, a US official has said according to American outlet Axios.
The claim comes from the outlet’s Global Affairs Correspondent, Barak Ravid.
Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal reached, U.S. official tell me https://t.co/2Q91pOQtdE
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 15, 2025
Talks hit ‘last minute snag’ - Israeli official
16:37
Alex Croft
In contradictory developments to those coming from Hamas sources, an Israeli official has said talks have hit a “last-minute snag”, according to Sky News.
The snag is reportedly around the presence of Israeli forces in the Philadelphia corridor in the south of Gaza, with Hamas demanding Israeli forces withdraw slightly further.
Breaking: Hamas delivers ceasefire approval to mediators - source
16:32
Alex Croft
Hamas has approved the ceasefire agreement, a source has told Sky News.
The group’s leader, Khalil Al Hayya, delivered the approval to mediators in Doha, Qatar.
Qatari PM meeting Hamas officials in his office
16:24
Alex Croft
The prime minister of Qatar is meeting Hamas officials in his office in a final push towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, a source involved in the talks has told Reuters.
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the foreign minister, is set to host a press conference this evening.
Qatar to give update
15:44
Alexander Butler
Qatar is set to give an update on an anticipated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the US emphasised the “coming hours” for a deal.
The Gulf state’s foreign ministry will hold a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, where a truce is being hammered out by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
It comes as US president Joe Biden and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al Sisi emphasised “the urgent need for a deal to be implemented” and said they would be in contact over the “coming hours”.
Israel denies reports Hamas accepted ceasefire
14:06
Alexander Butler
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has denied reports Hamas has agreed to a last-minute ceasefire deal nearly 15 months into the war.
Israeli media channels had reported that, following the green light from Hamas, the deal would be formally announced on Thursday and would come into effect on Sunday with the release of the first of the hostages.
But the prime minister’s office immediately said Hamas had not communicated its answer to the proposal drawn up by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
“Contrary to reports, the Hamas terror organisation has not yet returned its response to the deal,” the prime minister’s office said.
Pictured: Palestinians mourn those killed in Israeli airstrikes
10:54
Alexander Butler
A year of war in Gaza: A timeline of key moments
10:36
Alexander Butler
Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza
09:39
Alexander Butler
US says truce between Israel and Hamas could ‘come anytime’
09:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US and Qatar have said that a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is closer than ever before, with America’s top diplomat saying a truce could be agreed “at any time”.
Negotiators met in Doha on Tuesday hoping to hammer out the final details of a deal, which would include the release of hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinians held in Israeli jails being freed.
“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said during a speech, asserting it was up to Hamas. “It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” and word could “come anytime”.
Hamas said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US. An Israeli official said talks had reached a critical phase although some details needed to be hammered out: “We are close, we are not there yet.”
Islamic Jihad, which is separate from Hamas and also holds hostages in Gaza, said it was sending a senior delegation that would arrive in Doha on Tuesday night to take part in final arrangements for a ceasefire deal.
Chris Stevenson has more.
Hamas waiting for withdrawal maps, source claims
09:18
Alexander Butler
Hamas is still waiting for Israel to submit maps showing how its military would withdraw from the besieged Gaza Strip, a source said.
During months of on-off talks to achieve a truce in the devastating 15-month-old war both sides have previously said they were close to a ceasefire only to hit last-minute obstacles.
The broad outlines of the current deal have been in place since mid-2024. President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline for a ceasefire agreement.
Hamas recruited almost as many new fighters as it lost, says Blinken
09:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US secretary of state Antony Blinken criticised Israel’s war strategy, saying that Hamas has recruited almost as many new members as it lost during the year-long war in Gaza.
“We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone, that without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas, or something just as abhorrent and dangerous, will grow back,” Mr Blinken said in a speech at the Atlantic Council yesterday.
“Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back Hamas, militants regroup and re-emerge because there’s nothing else to fill the void,” he said.
“Indeed, we assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war,” Mr Blinken added.
Everything we know about the draft ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas
08:57
Alexander Butler
Terms of the second phase of Hamas-Israel ceasefire
08:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Upon completion of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, negotiations over the second phase will begin on Day 16 of the truce.
According to the draft, all remaining hostages will be released in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a “sustainable calm”.
Israel has said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal until Hamas’s military and political capabilities are eliminated and it cannot rearm — ensuring Hamas no longer runs Gaza.
Hamas says it will not hand over the last hostages until Israel removes all troops from everywhere in Gaza.
Effectively, Hamas has to agree to its own removal from power — something it has said it is willing to do, but it may seek to keep a hand in any future government, which Israel has vehemently rejected.
Terms of the draft for first phase of Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal
08:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed.
During the first phase of the truce deal, Hamas is to release 33 hostages in exchange for the freeing of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
On the first official day of the ceasefire, Hamas is to free three hostages, then another four on the seventh day, according to reports. After the first week, the group will make weekly releases.
The first 33 hostages to be freed will include women, children and those over 50 — almost all civilians, but the deal also commits Hamas to free all living female soldiers. Hamas will release living hostages first, but if the living doesn’t complete the 33 number, bodies will be handed over.
In exchange, Israel will free 30 Palestinian women, children or elderly for each living civilian hostage freed. For each female soldier freed, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 serving life sentences.
In exchange for bodies handed over by Hamas, Israel will free all women and children it has detained from Gaza since the war began on 7 October 2023.
During the proposed deal’s first phase, Israeli troops are to pull back into a buffer zone about 1km wide inside Gaza along its borders with Israel to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their home.
Throughout the first phase, Israel will retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the strip of territory along Gaza’s border with Egypt, including the Rafah Crossing.
In the first phase, aid entry to Gaza is to be ramped up to hundreds of trucks a day of food, medicine, supplies and fuel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. That is far more than Israel has allowed in throughout the war.
In pics: Protesters in Israel demand the return of hostages held by Hamas
07:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Everything we know about the draft ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas
07:00
Alex Croft
A ceasefire deal for Gaza is said to be the closest it has been for months – with a truce also allowing the freeing of hostages still held by Hamas.
Hamas killed around 1,200 people in a terror attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, and abducted another 250. Some 100 Israelis are still being held captive inside the Gaza Strip, and the military believes at least a third of them are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants.
A week before US President-elect Donald Trump takes over from President Joe Biden, officials said a breakthrough had been achieved in talks in Doha and agreement could be near.
Barney Davis covers everything we know about the draft deal:
Trump’s inauguration factor in closing Gaza ceasefire deal, says ex-diplomat
06:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US president-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration has been a major factor in closing the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, a former Israeli diplomat told CNN.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken has said the truce deal was “closer than it’s ever been before” after Hamas reportedly accepted the ceasefire draft to release the hostages.
“The tragic thing is… this deal was there for the taking for months,” said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York.
“And yet somehow it didn’t happen for political reasons: (Israeli prime minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s political calculations to prolong the war and Hamas’ reluctance to accept some of the key ingredients in the deal.”
Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, over the weekend met the Israeli prime minister, who is facing pressure from both incumbent and incoming presidents to reach a deal.
Witkoff and Biden’s Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, who are both currently in the region, have been working together in recent days with mediators to try to resolve some of the last remaining sticking points, CNN reported, citing sources.
“It had a tremendous influence on Israel, so much so that it validates those Netanyahu critics who said that he’s been prolonging the war for months waiting for Mr. Trump to get elected, and once Mr. Trump was elected in November, getting it nearer to the inauguration as possible,” Mr Pinkas added.
In pictures: Smoke smothers Gaza skyline despite ceasefire talks
06:01
Alex Croft
