International aid organisations welcome ceasefire deal

Strikes on Gaza continue after ceasefire announced – reports

The ceasefire agreement does not come into force until Sunday, and reports from on the ground in Gaza indicate that the Israeli army has continued its bombardment of the territory in the meantime.

The Hamas-run Palestinian Civil Defence says Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 20 people since the deal was announced, including an attack targeting a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City which killed 12 people and injured 20 others. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the reports.

Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif says “the pace of bombing has increased dramatically in recent hours”, describing it as “terrifying”.

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Here is a summary of the latest developments:

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Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire deal, Qatar announced on Wednesday evening in Doha. The deal, which is set to be begin on Sunday and will last 42 days, will see the exchange of hostages detained by Hamas and Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

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Other aspects of the deal include the return of Palestinians, who have been forcibly displaced by Israeli forces, to their homes across the Gaza Strip. The deal will also see the facilitation of travel of people wounded by Israeli attacks and sick people in order to receive treatment, as well as the positioning of Israeli forces across the Gaza border.

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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump and Joe Biden for “advancing” the ceasefire agreement, but did not explicitly say whether he has accepted it, saying he would issue a formal response only “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”

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Israel’s security cabinet will meet at 11am local time (9am GMT) on Thursday to approve the deal, local media reported. The Israeli government will vote on the deal on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to approve the deal, a government official told Reuters.

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Both Biden and Trump were quick to claim credit. Biden opened his final address to the nation by referencing the deal. “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration,” he said. Trump said the “epic” agreement could have only happened as a result of his “historic” election victory.

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The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, welcomed news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying it held he promise of “huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery”.

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The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has issued a statement calling the news of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “long overdue” and urging a “huge surge” in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. “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,” he said.

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Biden confirmed that Americans will be part of the hostage release. “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,” Biden said.

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Egypt is “preparing to bring in the largest possible amount of aid to the Gaza Strip,” according to state media reports. Coordination was under way to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza, Egyptian state media reported.

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The ceasefire agreement does not come into force until Sunday, and reports from on the ground in Gaza indicate that the Israeli army has continued its bombardment of the territory in the meantime.

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Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif says “the pace of bombing has increased dramatically in recent hours”, describing it as “terrifying”.

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There may be no winners in war, but history suggests combatants are often eager to convince the world otherwise.

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The ending of the 15-month conflict in Gaza may prove an exception. The sacrifice has been so great, the misery so complete, and the ultimate future for Gaza so uncertain that few can claim with certainty that this was all worthwhile, or likely to benefit Israel’s security in the long term. The damage to Israel’s reputation may last decades.

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Read the full piece here:

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The Associated Press has taken a look at some of the key players who negotiated the deal. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have mediated the long-running efforts to halt the fighting in the ravaged Palestinian territory, often coming close to a deal before a frustrating breakdown in negotiations, until the final breakthrough this week.

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David Barnea

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The head of Israel’s spy agency headed up Israel’s negotiation team throughout the negotiation process. Worked alongside the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency and top political and military advisers to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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intelligence agency chief David Barnea, front right, and Ronen Bar, second left, chief of Israel’s domestic Shin Bet security agency.”,”caption”:”Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea, front right, and Ronen Bar, second left, chief of Israel’s domestic Shin Bet security agency.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Gil Cohen-Magen/AP”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Ronen Bar

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The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency also has been involved in negotiations for months. Bar’s agency handles matters relating to Palestinian security prisoners. Bar has led the agency since 2021. Just days after the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel that launched the war, he took responsibility for failing to thwart the militants and said investigations into what happened would come after the war.

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Brett McGurk

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President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser has been putting together a draft of the deal from the discussions with the two sides as the lead negotiator in the Israel-Hamas negotiations. McGurk has been a fixture in US Middle East policy for more than two decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Steve Witkoff

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President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East has met separately in recent weeks with Netanyahu and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, another key mediator. Witkoff, a Florida real estate investor and co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, has kept in contact with Biden’s foreign policy team as the incoming Trump and outgoing Biden administrations coordinated on the deal.

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

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Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister led his country’s pivotal mediation efforts in the stop-start negotiations. He has been a key communicator with Hamas throughout the process, as Israel and Hamas have not communicated directly.

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Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.”,”caption”:”Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Hassan Rashad

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The director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Agency was also a liaison with Hamas throughout the talks. Rashad took office in October 2024, replacing former chief intelligence official Abbas Kamel, who led the negotiations during the first ceasefire in November 2023. Several rounds of negotiations have occurred in Cairo, and the mediators will move to the Egyptian capital Thursday for further talks on implementing the deal.

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Khalil al-Hayya

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The acting head of Hamas’ political bureau and the militant group’s chief negotiator is based in Qatar but does not meet directly with Israeli or American officials, communicating instead through Egyptian and Qatari mediators. His role increased in importance after Israeli soldiers killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip.

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The Gaza ceasefire clinched Wednesday was a bittersweet victory for US President Joe Biden days before he hands over the White House to Donald Trump, who claimed credit – and, most experts say, deserves some, reports AFP.

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Biden first proposed the outlines of the deal between Israel and Hamas on 31 May but diplomatic efforts repeatedly came up short, even when secretary of state Antony Blinken warned in Tel Aviv in August that it may have been the last chance for a deal.

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Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff marched into Netanyahu’s office on Saturday, forcing the Israeli leader to break the sabbath, and pushed to seal the ceasefire.

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The timing has echoes of a 1981 deal on US hostages in Iran, freed from 444 days of captivity moments after Republican Ronald Reagan succeeded Democrat Jimmy Carter, although this time the outgoing and incoming administrations worked together.

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In scenes unprecedented in recent US history, Witkoff and Biden’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk met jointly with the emir of Qatar – a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas – when sealing the deal.

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Trump quickly boasted that the “epic” deal “could only have happened” due to his election as US president in November.

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Asked if Trump deserved credit, Biden quipped: “Is that a joke?”

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Speaking hours before a previously scheduled farewell address to the nation, the outgoing president said he included the Trump team in negotiations so that the United States was “speaking with one voice.”

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Biden faced heated criticism from the left of his Democratic Party during its unsuccessful election year over his staunch support of Israel since Palestinian group Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack.

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Biden authorised billions of dollars in weapons for Israel’s relentless retaliatory campaign on Gaza, despite criticizing the strategic US ally for the civilian death toll – which authorities in Gaza say is in the tens of thousands.

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“The Biden administration was terrified of the political cost of being seen to be pressing Israel in any way,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the rights group Democracy for the Arab World Now.

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Trump, while vowing to be even more pro-Israel, was able to make clear to Netanyahu that “I do not want to inherit this,” Whitson said.

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“It made me think that all of this would have been possible months ago and we could have saved thousands of Palestinian lives,” she said.

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Trump had warned Hamas of “hell to pay” if it did not agree to a deal, which includes in its first phase the release of 33 hostages seized on 7 October.

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David Khalfa, an expert on Israel at the Jean Jaures Foundation in Paris, said that Trump’s unpredictability likely affected Hamas. He also pointed to Netanyahu’s political position heading a hard-right but shaky coalition government.

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“There is today an ideological alignment between the American populist right and the Israeli prime minister. So he has very weak room to manoeuvre against a Trump who doesn’t face the pressures of reelection,” said Khalfa.

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Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked US president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump for their “assistance” in advancing the ceasefire and hostages release deal.

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In a series of posts on X, Netanyahu’s office said he spoke this evening with Trump and thanked him “for helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families.”

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Netanyahu “made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US president-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism,” it said.

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Netanyahu and Trump decided to meet in Washington soon, it said.

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Netanyahu then spoke with Biden and thanked him for his assistance in advancing the hostages deal, it said.

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In a separate statement, Netanyahu’s office said:

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n

An official statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be issued only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present.

n

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The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the organisation stood ready to help implement the Gaza ceasefire agreement and facilitate the prisoner and hostage exchanges.

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“We are also prepared to massively scale up our humanitarian response in Gaza, where the situation demands it,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said.

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She added that the organisation was “also prepared to massively scale up our humanitarian response in Gaza, where the situation demands it”.

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Two Americans held in Gaza are on the list of hostages to be released in first six-week phase of ceasefire deal, according to multiple reports.

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The two US citizens are Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, sources have told Reuters and CNN.

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Siegel was abducted with his wife, Adrienne, who was among a group of hostages released in a November 2023 ceasefire agreement.

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The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has issued a statement calling the news of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “long overdue” and urging a “huge surge” in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

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“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,” he said.

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n

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 … 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.

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Starmer said attention now must turn to how tos secure a “permanently better future” for the Israeli and Palestinian people which is “grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state.”

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The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, welcomed news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying it held he promise of “huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery”.

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“I am hugely relieved by the news of the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza, and it is imperative that it now holds,” he said, as he urged all parties to “do everything in their power to ensure the success of next stages of the ceasefire”.

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n

Food, water, medicine, shelter and protection are the top priorities. We have no time to lose.

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Türk also noted the need to pursue accountability and justice for those responsible for the 7 October attacks, the unlawful killing of civilians in Gaza, and all other crimes under international law.

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Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for the Palestinian refugees, said the deal will “finally bring much needed respite for the people of Gaza and the release of hostages.”

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What’s needed is rapid, unhindered & uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war.

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The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, called on all parties to “uphold their commitments and ensure that this deal is fully implemented.” “Our priority must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict,” he said.

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I urge the parties and relevant partners to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political path to a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and the broader region.

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Israeli president Isaac Herzog has released a statement following the announcement of a ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel in which he called on Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government to accept and approve the deal.

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Herzog said:

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“My sisters and brothers, citizens of Israel, we are at a most crucial moment… I offer my support to the Prime Minister and the negotiation team in their efforts to finalize this deal and call upon the Cabinet and the Government of Israel to accept and approve it when presented–bringing our sons and daughters home.

n

As the President of the State of Israel, I say in the clearest terms: This is the right move. This is an important move. This is a necessary move. There is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us–whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest.”

n

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Here’s a look at where things stand:

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n
Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire deal, Qatar announced on Wednesday evening in Doha. The deal, which is set to be begin on Sunday and will last 42 days, will see the exchange of hostages detained by Hamas and Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

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Other aspects of the deal include the return of Palestinians, who have been forcibly displaced by Israeli forces, to their homes across the Gaza strip. The deal will also see the facilitation of travel of people wounded by Israeli attacks and sick people in order to receive treatment, as well as the positioning of Israeli forces across the Gaza border.

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Joe Biden has confirmed that Americans will be part of the hostage release. “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,” Biden said.

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Egypt is “preparing to bring in the largest possible amount of aid to the Gaza Strip,” according to state media reports. Coordination was underway to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza, Egyptian state media reported.

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Israel’s security cabinet will meet at 11am local time (0900 GMT) on Thursday to approve the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, the Times of Israel is reporting, citing Hebrew media. The Israeli government will vote on the deal on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to approve the deal, a government official told Reuters.

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The US president-elect, Donald Trump, has rushed to claim credit for the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in another Truth Social post. Describing the deal as “epic”, Trump said the agreement could have only happened as a result of his “historic” election victory “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”.

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Biden said the third phase of the ceasefire deal will involve any final remains of hostages who have been killed in Gaza to be returned to their families.

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A major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin in this Phase Three, he said.

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“The road to this deal has not been easy,” Biden said. “This is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve ever experienced.”

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He attributed reaching the deal to Israeli pressure on Hamas, backed by the US, the death of Hamas leader Yahya Al-Sinwar, a US-led coalition response to Houthi attacks, the “significant” weakening of Hezbollah, and the election of new Lebanese president. Biden said:

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n

All told, these developments in the region, which the United States helped to shape, change the equation.

n

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Biden said he was “deeply satisfied that this day has come” for the sake of the people of Israel and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza. He said:

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n

The Palestinian people have gone through hell. Too many innocent people have died. Too many communities have been destroyed. Under this deal, the people of Gaza can finally recover and rebuild. They can look to a future without Hamas and power.

n

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Biden said that during the next six weeks of the first phase of the ceasefire, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements for phase two – “a permanent end to the war”.

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The US president said that there are a “number of details” to negotiate to move from the first and second phase.

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If negotiations take longer than six weeks, then the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue, he said.

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Phase two will allow for an exchange for the release of all the remaining living hostages, including male soldiers.

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The second phase will also involve all remaining Israeli forces to be withdrawn from Gaza, and for the temporary ceasefire to become permanent, he said.

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The US president, Joe Biden, has announced that Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal.

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“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,” Biden said in a statement.

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Biden, in a news conference, said elements of this deal are what he laid in detail in May 2024, and that the first phase will last six weeks and includes a “full and complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas.” In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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“I’m proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release on phase one,” he said.

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Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, is holding a press conference from Doha where he has confirmed that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been reached.

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The agreement will enter into effect on Sunday, 19 January, he said.

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Phase one of the agreement will go on for 42 days and will include a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the east away from populated areas, he said.

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The United Nations is committed to delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza during the ceasefire, but “we can only deliver as much as the conditions on the ground allow for us to do so,” according to a UN aid spokesperson.

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Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN’s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, said:

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n

The removal of the various impediments the UN 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.

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Separately, Egypt is “preparing to bring in the largest possible amount of aid to the Gaza Strip,” according to state media reports.

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Coordination was underway to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza, Egyptian state media reported.

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aid swaiting to be picked up on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom aid crossing in the Gaza Strip, on Dec. 19, 2024.”,”caption”:”Humanitarian aid swaiting to be picked up on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom aid crossing in the Gaza Strip, on Dec. 19, 2024.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1736966129000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.35 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1736966553000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.42 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1736966318000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.38 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.38″,”title”:”Egypt ‘preparing to bring in largest possible amount of aid to Gaza’ – state media”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 15 Jan 2025 23.15 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 15 Jan 2025 02.28 EST”},{“id”:”6787ff118f08f12e252414ca”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

We reported earlier that the office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said a ceasefire deal still not reached and that the final details are being sorted out.

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Here’s the full statement by Netanyahu’s office:

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n

Due to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s firm stance, Hamas backed down at the last moment from its demand to alter the deployment of forces along the Philadelphi Corridor. However, several clauses in the framework remain unresolved, and we hope the details will be finalized tonight.

n

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The office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said a ceasefire deal still not reached and that the final details are being sorted out, Associated Press reported.

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As we reported earlier, Israel’s government is expected to vote on the deal tomorrow.

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Four Palestinians have been killed and two others critically injured on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

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A statement from the Palestinian health ministry said four bodies were brought to a hospital in Jenin following the airstrike.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out an airstrike in Jenin, adding that further details would be provided.

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On Tuesday, an IDF drone strike in Jenin killed six Palestinians, including a 15-year-old child.

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Israel’s security cabinet will meet at 11am local time (0900 GMT) on Thursday to approve the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, the Times of Israel is reporting, citing Hebrew media.

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The Israeli government will vote on the deal on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to approve the deal, a government official told Reuters.

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The US president-elect, Donald Trump, has rushed to claim credit for the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in another Truth Social post.

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Describing the deal as “epic”, Trump said the agreement could have only happened as a result of his “historic” election victory “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”.

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He vowed that his national security team and his pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will continue to “work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.” He added:

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n

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!

n

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Trump went on to say:

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n

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!

n

“,”elementId”:”70bca4f3-d36e-4b44-84b3-21cf70cf23dd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A White House official has confirmed to the New York Times that a Gaza ceasefire deal has been reached.

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Three US officials and a Hamas official have confirmed to Associated Press that a ceasefire deal has been reached.

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One US official said that it was expected that the ceasefire would be implemented in the coming days.

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As we reported earlier, ceasefire talks hit a last-minute snag over the Philadelphi corridor but the issue has since been resolved, CBS News is reporting.

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The US president, Joe Biden, is preparing to address the breakthrough agreement on Thursday, officials said.

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According to AP, the deal includes the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to their homes.

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The deal also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into the devastated Palestinian territory.

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A ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was reached after separate meetings held by Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, with Hamas and Israeli negotiators in his office, according to reports.

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An Israeli official has confirmed to the Times of Israel that a ceasefire and hostage deal has been reached.

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The paper, citing a senior Arab diplomat, reports that the US, Qatar and Egypt will shortly issue a joint statement announcing the deal.

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The US president-elect, Donald Trump, has posted to this Truth Social platform, writing:

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n

WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!

n

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Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, the Times of Israel is reporting, citing a US official and an Arab official.

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An announcement is expected in the coming hours, an Arab official told the paper.

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A US official has also told Axios that a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal has been reached.

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Hamas has told multiple outlets that its delegation has handed its approval of the proposed ceasefire deal to mediators in Qatar and Egypt.

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A Hamas official said the group’s leader, Khalil al–Hayya, has delivered approval of the ceasefire agreement to mediators in Doha, Al Jazeera Arabic and Sky News are reporting.

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BBC is also reporting that a Hamas official said it has told Qatari and Egyptian mediators that Hamas has approved the ceasefire agreement.

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Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said he was cutting his visit to Europe short on Wednesday so that he could take part in votes held by the security cabinet and government on a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal.

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A statement from the Israeli foreign ministry reads:

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n

Following the progress in the hostage release negotiations, Minister Sa’ar cut short his diplomatic visit, which was scheduled to continue tomorrow in Hungary. He will return to Israel tonight to participate in the expected discussions and votes in the Security Cabinet and government.

n

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foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar attends a joint press conference with the Czech foreign minister following their meeting at the Czernin Palace in Prague, Czech Republic, 28 November 2024.”,”caption”:”Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar attends a joint press conference with the Czech foreign minister following their meeting at the Czernin Palace in Prague, Czech Republic, 28 November 2024. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPA”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1736957627000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.13 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1736958003000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.20 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1736957779000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.16 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.16″,”title”:”Israeli foreign minister cuts short Europe trip to vote on Gaza deal”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 15 Jan 2025 23.15 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 15 Jan 2025 02.28 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It is 6pm in Gaza City and Tel Aviv, and 7pm in Damascus and Doha. Here is a brief summary on some of the latest updates:

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n
Qatar’s foreign ministry will hold a news conference in Doha later on Wednesday evening, a senior Qatari official told Reuters. It comes as Doha hosts talks towards a Gaza ceasefire deal. The official declined to say what time the news conference would begin. Earlier, an invitation by Qatar’s state news agency said the news conference would be hosted by prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also foreign minister.

n
Hamas has not yet given a written response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal under negotiation in Qatar, an official from the group, who refused to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters on Wednesday. Another report on Wednesday, by the news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP), quoted two Palestinian sources close to negotiations in Doha as saying that the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad had approved a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal. The Guardian has been unable to independently verify either report.

n
The office of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly issued a denial that Hamas had agreed an outline deal for a limited release of hostages, a ceasefire and partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, after reports circulated of an agreement. “Contrary to reports, the Hamas terror organisation has not yet returned its response to the deal,” the prime minister’s office said.

n
The briefing and counter-briefing that has emerged over the last few hours appears to show how precarious negotiations for a proposed ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza have been. Details of the lengths of specific phases and the number of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released have been contradictory depending on the source of the briefing.

n
There is also vocal opposition within Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to agreeing a deal. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has already said he and his Otzma Yehudit party will oppose it, and yesterday made a public appeal to finance minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in that position. Kan News reported that Ben-Gvir had cancelled his schedule for Wednesday, and was “in talks with Smotrich’s people in an attempt to convince him to resign from the government”.

n
Palestinian prime minister, Mohammad Mustafa, has said that it “will not be acceptable” for any entity other than the Palestinian Authority to run the Gaza Strip in the future, as he attended an international meeting on the two-state solution in Norway. Mustafa also stated that “any attempt to consolidate the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, or create transitional entities, will be rejected”.

n
An Israeli airstrike for the first time hit a military target belonging to Syria’s new authorities on Wednesday, killing three people, a war monitor and a medical source said. “An Israeli drone launched an attack targeting a military convoy … killing two members of the military operations Ddepartment, and injuring another person” in southern Syria’s Quneitra region, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A medical source told AFP an official was among the three killed in the strike.

n
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, on Wednesday said transitional justice was “crucial” for Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, during the first-ever visit by someone in his post to the country. “Transitional justice is crucial as Syria moves forward,” the UN high commissioner for human rights said at a press conference in Damascus. “Revenge and vengeance are never the answer.”

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Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, will hold a press conference on Wednesday in Doha where his country has been hosting talks towards a Gaza ceasefire deal, according to an invitation by Qatar’s state news agency (QNA).

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The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, on Wednesday said transitional justice was “crucial” for Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, during the first-ever visit by someone in his post to the country, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

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Since rebels seized Damascus last month, the UN has called for Assad and others to be held accountable for the crimes committed during more than 13 years of civil war.

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“Transitional justice is crucial as Syria moves forward,” the UN high commissioner for human rights said at a press conference in Damascus. “Revenge and vengeance are never the answer.”

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Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011 after Assad’s brutal crackdown of anti-government protests. More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced from their homes. Tens of thousands of people have been detained and tortured in the country’s jails, while Assad has been accused of using chemical weapons including banned sarin gas against his own people.

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“The enforced disappearances, the torture, the use of chemical weapons, among other atrocity crimes, must be fully investigated,” Türk said. “And then justice must be served, fairly and impartially,” he added.

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Türk said “such acts constitute the most serious crimes under international humanitarian law”. Among them, “that banned chemicals were used against civilians … and not just once, says a lot about the extreme brutality of the tactics used by the former regime,” Türk said.

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The new authorities have sought to reassure Syrians and the international community in recent weeks that they will respect the rights of minorities while rebuilding the country.

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Türk said during the visit that he and the country’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, discussed “the opportunities and challenges awaiting this new Syria”.

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“He acknowledged and assured me of the importance of respect for human rights for all Syrians and all different components of Syrian society,” Türk said, according to AFP. He said Sharaa also backed “the pursuit of healing, trust building and social cohesion and the reform of institutions”.

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After a war that has ravaged Syria’s economy and infrastructure, Türk also called for an easing of certain western sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad’s rule.

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“I … call for an urgent reconsideration of … sanctions with a view to lifting them,” he said, adding that they had “a negative impact on the enjoyment of rights” of Syrians.

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Türk said he had visited the notorious Saydnaya prison and met a former detainee, “a former soldier suspected of being a defector”. “He told me of the cruel treatment he endured. I cannot even bear to share the stories of beatings and torture that he shared with me,” he said.

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Thousands of detainees poured out of prisons after Assad’s fall. But many Syrians are still looking for traces of tens of thousands of loved ones still missing, with many believed to have been buried in mass graves.

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Hamas has not yet given a written response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal under negotiation in Qatar, an official from the group, who refused to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters on Wednesday.

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An Israeli official has said that Hamas has agreed an outline deal for a limited release of hostages and a ceasefire and partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, however the office of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu almost immediately issued a denial that this was the case.

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“Contrary to reports, the Hamas terror organisation has not yet returned its response to the deal,” the prime minister’s office said.

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Alongside other Israeli media outlets, The Times of Israel had reported:

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n

Officials in Jerusalem tell Israeli media that the deal is expected to be signed tonight, and that a joint declaration is anticipated tonight or tomorrow.

n

This means that if the deal is approved by the cabinet this evening or tomorrow, with a 24-48 hour period to allow for appeals against the deal to the supreme court, implementation could begin with the first hostages going free on Sunday.

n

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The deal is expected to initially involve the release of 33 hostages including women, the elderly and wounded, and the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. A partial withdrawal of Israeli troops is expected to take place in Gaza, with the Rafah crossing reopening to allow in humanitarian aid. Negotiations would take place during this phase on a more permanent second phase, which would see the release of the remaining hostages.

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Some members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have said they do not support the deal, but it is believed he has enough support across the Knesset and in government for it to be implemented.

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More details soon …

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In today’s First Edition newsletter, my colleague Archie Bland discussed with the Guardian’s senior international correspondent, Julian Borger the prospects for a peace deal:

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“We have been told that it’s now just a question of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts,” Julian Borger said. “But we have been here before.”

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“There appears to have been a breakthrough overnight on Monday,” Julian said. “We don’t know exactly what that was about. Previously, the speed and extent of Israel’s withdrawal has been a sticking point.”

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Donald Trump’s return has changed the calculus on Israel’s side. “We’ve had at least eight months of counterfactuals,” Julian said. “Because the far right always threatened to bring down Netanyahu, the logic has pointed to no deal. But the imminence of Trump’s return is an X factor here.”

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Here’s what is in the prospective deal, according to a draft seen by Reuters yesterday:

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Hostage return: The first stage, lasting six weeks, would see 33 hostages held in Gaza – children, women including female soldiers, men older than 50, the wounded and the sick – freed gradually over a six-week period in return for the release of around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

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Troop withdrawal: Israel would begin a phased pull-back of its troops and leave parts of the Philadelphi corridor that runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

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Movement within Gaza: Unarmed residents would be allowed back into north Gaza, and the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza would begin a gradual reopening.

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Aid: The Israelis would also start to let more desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Associated Press reported that this could be about 600 trucks a day. At the beginning of January, only about 50 aid trucks crossed into Gaza each day, Unrwa said on Sunday.

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Second phase: On the 16th day of the first phase, and if everything has gone to plan, talks would start on a second stage that would see more hostages – including male soldiers and younger civilian men – released, as well as the bodies of those who have died in captivity, in return for further Israeli concessions, which the draft suggests could include the “complete withdrawal” of the IDF from Gaza.

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You can read more of Archie Bland’s conversation with Julian Borger here: What a Gaza ceasefire might look like

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Sign up for our free daily news email First Edition

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In an operational update, Israel’s military on its official Telegram channel, has claimed that yesterday it struck “more than 50 terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip, including terrorist cells, weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure, anti-tank fire positions, and Hamas military structures.”

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Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday morning that the death toll from overnight Israeli attacks in Gaza stands at 24, including two people recently reported killed “in an Israeli drone attack on Khirbet al-Adas area, north of the city of Rafah.”

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at Awda hospital in Gaza Citymourn loved ones killed by an Israeli strike on Nuseirat refugee camp, 15 January.”,”caption”:”Palestinians at Awda hospital in Gaza City
mourn loved ones killed by an Israeli strike on Nuseirat refugee camp, 15 January.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1736926096000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”02.28 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1736926890000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”02.41 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1736926890000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”02.41 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”02.41″,”title”:”24 Palestinians reported killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza as IDF claims to have hit more than 50 ‘terrorist targets'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 15 Jan 2025 23.15 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 15 Jan 2025 02.28 EST”},{“id”:”6786f99b8f082981ff8d45ea”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were “right on the brink” as the warring sides were reported to be closing in on a deal. Envoys representing the Biden White House and the incoming Trump administration have been taking part in what was billed as a “final round” of talks on Tuesday, meeting delegates from Israel, Egypt and Qatar.

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Blinken indicated that Israel had agreed to a deal and that mediators were now waiting for a response from Hamas. “It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” he said. “But, right now, as we sit here, we await final word from Hamas on its acceptance, and until we get that word, we’ll remain on the brink.”

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The Associated Press on Tuesday evening reported that Hamas had accepted the draft agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, citing two anonymous sources involved in the talks. That information has not been confirmed by the group publicly and an Israeli official told the news agency that details of the agreement were still being finalised.

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Israeli media and reports from the Qatari capital said the agreement would involve an initial release of 33 Israeli hostages, including children, women, elderly people and the sick, and up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial Israeli troop withdrawal in a first phase lasting up to 60 days.

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n
Hamas earlier said the talks had reached the final steps and that it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal. 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.” The militant group Islamic Jihad 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.

n
A deal had not yet been clinched on Tuesday night despite more than eight hours of talks in Qatar. A senior Hamas official told Reuters that his group was awaiting documents from Israel that would give more details of the geographical area covered by a ceasefire. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday that talks on the final details were under way after both sides were presented with a text.

n
Hopes rose across Gaza that the war that has devastated the territory, killing more than 46,000 according to the Hamas-led health ministry and displacing millions, was finally coming to an end. Residents of the embattled territory expressed mixed emotions: hope and fear for the future but pain and grief for the past 15 months. Optimism over the negotiations has been tempered by past experience after earlier apparent breakthroughs ultimately failed in the face of opposition from the coalition government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or obstruction from Hamas inside Gaza.

n
Fighting in Gaza has continued in recent days despite reports of an imminent ceasefire. Israeli airstrikes on homes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians, health officials said Tuesday. Earlier strikes in Gaza killed at least 18 people, including two women and four children, according to local health officials, who said one woman was pregnant and the baby died as well.

n
Blinken, in an outgoing speech at the Atlantic Council, outlined a vision for a postwar settlement under which Israel would accept a united leadership of Gaza and the West Bank territories under a reformed Palestinian Authority. Israel has so far rejected those conditions. He also spoke about significant involvement from the international community and Arab countries, including the possibility of deploying troops to stabilise security and facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. Blinken’s speech was interrupted several times by protesters.

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Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire deal, Qatar announced on Wednesday evening in Doha. The deal, which is set to be begin on Sunday and will last 42 days, will see the exchange of hostages detained by Hamas and Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
Other aspects of the deal include the return of Palestinians, who have been forcibly displaced by Israeli forces, to their homes across the Gaza Strip. The deal will also see the facilitation of travel of people wounded by Israeli attacks and sick people in order to receive treatment, as well as the positioning of Israeli forces across the Gaza border.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump and Joe Biden for “advancing” the ceasefire agreement, but did not explicitly say whether he has accepted it, saying he would issue a formal response only “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”
Israel’s security cabinet will meet at 11am local time (9am GMT) on Thursday to approve the deal, local media reported. The Israeli government will vote on the deal on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to approve the deal, a government official told Reuters.
Both Biden and Trump were quick to claim credit. Biden opened his final address to the nation by referencing the deal. “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration,” he said. Trump said the “epic” agreement could have only happened as a result of his “historic” election victory.
The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, welcomed news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying it held he promise of “huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery”.
The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has issued a statement calling the news of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “long overdue” and urging a “huge surge” in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. “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,” he said.
Biden confirmed that Americans will be part of the hostage release. “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,” Biden said.
Egypt is “preparing to bring in the largest possible amount of aid to the Gaza Strip,” according to state media reports. Coordination was under way to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza, Egyptian state media reported.

Here’s a selection of images of people reacting to the ceasefire deal from the region and beyond:

People gather in Umayyad Square to celebrate in Damascus, Syria on Thursday. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Celebrations in Tunis. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

People took to the streets to celebrate in Saida, Lebanon. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

People gather in front of the Israeli consulate in Istanbul to celebrate. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

The Israel-Hamas deal was made possible by 18-hour days and a “remarkable” partnership between Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s Mideast envoys – but even then it seemed it might come apart at the last minute, AFP reports.

In the final four days of talks, Biden’s pointman Brett McGurk was joined in the region by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to get the deal over the line, US officials said.

As they did so, Israeli and Hamas negotiators were huddling on separate floors of a building in the Qatari capital Doha, while moderators from Qatar and Egypt shuttled between them with their proposals.

McGurk and Witkoff were talking “multiple times a day, and Mr Witkoff actually helped clinch down some of the details. There was great coordination,” national security council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN.

A senior Biden administration official said that the unlikely pairing – there is little love lost between the outgoing and incoming presidents – had been a decisive factor in reaching a deal.

“Four days ago, Steve Witkoff came out to join Brett in his final push, which I think is, historically, almost unprecedented. And it was a highly constructive, very fruitful partnership,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“It was really quite, quite remarkable, and I think speaks to what can be done in the country.”

Veteran diplomat McGurk has served in a number of US administrations, including in Trump’s first term.

Witkoff is a businessman and real estate expert but has jumped into the negotiations – even insisting that Netanyahu break the sabbath on Saturday for a meeting in his office as he pushed to seal the ceasefire.

Negotiations intensified after McGurk returned to the region on 5 January – “18 hours a day, sometimes longer” – but sticking points between Israel and Hamas remained.

The final 96 hours were the most intense of all.

One of the biggest hang-ups were the “incredibly complicated” lists for the exchanges of hostages held by Hamas with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

“All of that was not fully nailed down until the recent hours,” the senior Biden administration official said.

In social media posts, some Gaza residents have urged Palestinians to exercise extra caution in the belief Israel could step up attacks in the next few days to maximise gains before the ceasefire starts.

Nevertheless, news of the ceasefire deal sparked jubilation in Gaza, where Palestinians have faced severe shortages of food, water, shelter and fuel. In Khan Younis, throngs clogged the streets amid the sounds of horns as they cheered, waved Palestinian flags and danced.

“I am happy. Yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy,” Ghada, a displaced mother of five, told Reuters.

Palestinians celebrate in Gaza City on Wednesday after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Abed Radwan, a Palestinian father of three, told AP the ceasefire deal “the best day in my life and the life of the Gaza people.”

“People are crying here. They don’t believe it’s true,” he said.

In Tel Aviv, families of Israeli hostages and their friends likewise welcomed the news, saying in a statement they felt “overwhelming joy and relief (about) the agreement to bring our loved ones home.” In a social media statement announcing the ceasefire, Hamas called the pact “an achievement for our people” and “a turning point.”

Sharone Lifschitz, whose father, Oded, is being held in Gaza, told AP she was stunned and grateful but won’t believe it until she sees all the hostages come home.

“I’m so desperate to see them, if by some miracle my father has survived,” she said.

Patrick Wintour

It is only if the perspective is broadened away from Gaza that Netanyahu and the Israeli military can claim, by deciding to broaden the war with intensified attacks on Hezbollah and Iranian targets, that they changed its course and character. The chain of events that led to the annihilation of the Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon – and then to the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and so to Iran’s loss of its crown jewel – may be sketchy, but it is clearly discernible.

Indeed, the weakening of Iran is probably the biggest regional impact of the war in Gaza. Biden had a point this week in claiming that, all told, Iran “is weaker than it has been for decades”. He elaborated: “Iran’s air defences are in shambles. Their main proxy, Hezbollah, is badly wounded, and as we tested Iran’s willingness to revive the nuclear deal, we kept the pressure with sanctions. Now Iran’s economy is in desperate straits.” A 35-year tack to build a defence strategy around a proxy army had been eviscerated in a matter of months.

The change has had an accelerator effect on Tehran’s foreign-policy elite. Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian reformist president, and his strategic adviser, Javad Zarif, are placing numerous olive branches at Trump’s feet.

The fissiparous nature of Iranian internal politics makes it hard for Iran to deliver a consistent message to the west, however, and at the moment there are not many diplomats in France, UK or Germany yet convinced by Iran’s offer to negotiate a new nuclear deal. Iran has a reputation for buying time by offering fruitless talks. Moreover, Trump’s top team is deeply hostile to Iran.

In Lebanon, two years of paralysis have ended and a new, elected leadership will listen to Iran-backed Hezbollah, but not be beholden to it.

But the new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, is the former president of the international court of justice and fresh from delivering the landmark legal verdict that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is illegal and must end within a year. He will be a standing reminder that Israel has unfinished business in front of the international courts.

The imminent transition of power in Washington has played a role in a ceasefire deal being reached between Israel and Hamas, and both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have been eager to take the credit.

Delivering his final address to the nation from the Oval Office, Biden opened his speech by referencing the deal.

“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration,” he said.

“That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.”

Strikes on Gaza continue after ceasefire announced – reports

The ceasefire agreement does not come into force until Sunday, and reports from on the ground in Gaza indicate that the Israeli army has continued its bombardment of the territory in the meantime.

Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif says “the pace of bombing has increased dramatically in recent hours”, describing it as “terrifying”.

Patrick Wintour

Patrick Wintour is the Guardian’s diplomatic editor

Security for Israel, secretary of state Antony Blinken argued, had to include a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, or else Hamas “or something equally abhorrent” will “grow back”. He said the country “must abandon the myth they can carry out de facto annexation, without cost and consequence to Israel’s democracy, to its standing, to its security”. Yet, he complained, “Israel’s government has systematically undermined the capacity and legitimacy of the only viable alternative to Hamas: the Palestinian Authority”.

If Israel wanted the prize of greater security, he said, that lay through forging greater integration across the region, specifically through normalisation with Saudi Arabia. He said that was ready to go, but only if Palestinians were allowed to live in a state of their own, and not as “a non-people”.

Trump’s return to the White House may have helped pressure Benjamin Netanyahu into a ceasefire, but not to a particular peace. The incoming US president is unlikely to pick up Blinken’s plan for a reformed and UN-monitored Palestinian Authority (PA) to oversee governance of a unified Gaza and West Bank. Israel for its part will risk a bigger vacuum by acting on its commitment not to co-operate with Unrwa, the UN agency for the Palestinians, and other NGOs.

Nor is there any certainty that Palestine will have the quality of leadership required to take sole administrative charge of Gaza. The PA, led by the ageing Mahmoud Abbas, is increasingly reviled on the West Bank and has failed to bury its differences with Hamas in talks in Moscow, Beijing and Cairo.

A ceasefire deal is here. For Gaza, the Middle East and the world, the future remains unknown

Patrick Wintour

There may be no winners in war, but history suggests combatants are often eager to convince the world otherwise.

Read the full piece here:

Sharlotte Thou

International aid organisations have welcomed the ceasefire deal and pledged to scale up support.

“This is long overdue for the children and families of Gaza who have endured more than a year of bombardment and deprivation, and for the hostages in Gaza and their families in Israel who have suffered so much,” Unicef said in a statement on Wednesday.

Unicef said at least 14,500 children have died and the war has left “17,000 unaccompanied or separated from their parents”. The organisation called on both parties to “fully adhere” to the ceasefire and to allow the “necessary level of aid into Gaza” to treat children suffering from malnutrition and vaccinate 420,000 children under 5 years old.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote “peace is the best medicine” on social media platform X.

“Too many lives have been lost and too many families have suffered. We hope all parties will respect the deal and work towards lasting peace,” he continued.

World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain stressed the importance of opened borders and increased security for humanitarian staff.

“We need security for team members and our partners, including during aid convoys. Humanitarians MUST be protected. We need more humanitarian staff allowed into Gaza. And we need urgent funding to reach everyone in need quickly,” she said in a statement.

The key negotiators who helped clinch the Gaza ceasefire deal

David Barnea

Ronen Bar

Brett McGurk

Steve Witkoff

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Hassan Rashad

Khalil al-Hayya

Gaza truce bittersweet for Biden as Trump takes credit

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff marched into Netanyahu’s office on Saturday, forcing the Israeli leader to break the sabbath, and pushed to seal the ceasefire.

Steve Witkoff makes remarks next to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on 7 January 2025. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

Trump quickly boasted that the “epic” deal “could only have happened” due to his election as US president in November.

Asked if Trump deserved credit, Biden quipped: “Is that a joke?”

Biden faced heated criticism from the left of his Democratic Party during its unsuccessful election year over his staunch support of Israel since Palestinian group Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack.

Trump, while vowing to be even more pro-Israel, was able to make clear to Netanyahu that “I do not want to inherit this,” Whitson said.

“It made me think that all of this would have been possible months ago and we could have saved thousands of Palestinian lives,” she said.

Trump had warned Hamas of “hell to pay” if it did not agree to a deal, which includes in its first phase the release of 33 hostages seized on 7 October.

Iraq has hailed the truce deal between Israel and Hamas and urged immediate aid deliveries to Gaza, AFP reports.

The foreign ministry stressed the “need to immediately allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories” and “intensify international efforts to rebuild” areas damaged during Israel’s Gaza offensive.

Here’s an explainer on what we know so far regarding the phased truce announced between Hamas and Israel, pausing the 15-month conflict with the aim of ending the war.

Key mediator Qatar said that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.

Israel earlier said it would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first stage of a Gaza truce agreement, Israeli and Palestinian sources reported Tuesday.

At least 12 people were killed and several wounded in shelling in a residential block in northern Gaza, Reuters is reporting, citing the Palestinian civil defence.

The report came after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which does not come into effect until Sunday.

The US hopes to see more than 500 trucks a day of humanitarian aid entering Gaza during the ceasefire, a US state department spokesperson said.

Matthew Miller, at a briefing earlier today, acknowledged that it has been “very difficult” to distribute aid within Gaza because of the security situation. He said:

We’re looking at a massive infusion of trucks. … It won’t happen overnight, but we want to get up to over 500 trucks a day.

Tiago Rogero

Colombian president Gustavo Petro called the agreement “good news for humanity” and stated that “Colombia will be willing to send medical teams to Gaza to treat injured children.”

The leftist, who did not mention Israel in his brief post on X, had severed diplomatic relations with the Israeli goverment in May of last year “for having a genocidal president.” In response, the then foreign minister (now Defence minister), Israel Katz, said, “History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to mankind.”

Colombia used to be one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America, but relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected in 2022.

Brazil’s leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Argentina’s far-right leader, Javier Milei, have yet to comment. The two have taken opposing stances since the conflict began.

This week, the Argentinean was awarded Israel’s prestigious 2025 Genesis Prize in recognition of his support for the country.

He has already pledged – both during his campaign and after being elected, during a visit to Israel – to move Argentina’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In November, when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, Milei expressed his “profound disagreement,” stating that the “decision disregards Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against constant attacks from terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.”

Brazil, on the other hand, has strained – though not severed – relations with Israel since the beginning of last year, when Lula referred to the actions in Gaza as “genocide.” In response, the Brazilian president was declared “persona non grata” by the Israeli government. Since then, Lula has described Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon as a “massacre” and “unnecessary slaughter.”

Source: www.theguardian.com