Israel and Hamas reach agreement on ceasefire for hostages in Gaza war

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Wednesday for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, a major advance in their 15-month war that has wreaked havoc and fueled tensions across the region.

An Israeli official briefed on the talks confirmed the deal to NBC News. The long-awaited agreement followed the meeting of Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with Hamas negotiators and, separately, with Israeli negotiators.

News of the deal prompted jubilant street demonstrations in both Israel and Gaza late Wednesday, local time.

The developments come ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20 — a date seen by many as a de facto deadline for mediation, after the president-elect vowed there would be “hell to pay” if Hamas did not released the Israeli hostages by the time he takes office.

“We have a deal on hostages in the Middle East. They will be released soon,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Mediators in Qatar presented the final draft of the deal on Monday to representatives from both sides, including the heads of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

Envoys of President Joe Biden and Trump have been present at the last rounds of negotiations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the proposed agreement was based on a framework the Biden administration presented in May.

Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, was testifying at his Senate confirmation hearing when news of the deal broke Wednesday. He noted the participation of Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, in talks since Witkoff’s announcement.

“All involved deserve credit for the ceasefire that [Senate committee] the president just announced,” Rubio said. “But Steve Witkoff has been a critical component of it, and he’s been involved in it from day one.”

Witkoff is not yet an official US government envoy and will only take up the post after Trump is sworn in on January 20.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked US officials for their work in pushing for a ceasefire. The deal “looks much better than before,” Saar told media on Monday, Reuters reported, adding: “I want to thank our American friends for the great efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”

Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has also traveled to Qatar and Israel several times to take part in talks since being given the role.

Blinken described Witkoff’s involvement as “critical,” stressing the importance of ensuring Trump continues to support the deal once he’s in office.

Over the past several months, both Hamas and Israeli officials have broadly agreed to a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by the Gaza-based militant group.

But the sticking point remained Hamas’ demand that a full hostage release must result in a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, while Israeli leaders said the Gaza campaign must continue until Hamas disbanded.

Hamas planned and led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and took 253 hostages. About 116 of those captives have since been released.

The October attack sparked the subsequent Israel-Hamas war and a relentless Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that Palestinian health authorities say has killed more than 46,000 people and devastated most of the enclave.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.