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In a major development, Israel and Hamas have reached a multiphase ceasefire that will lead to the release of some hostages held by the militant group for more than a year.
US President Joe Biden, in announcing the deal Wednesday with only days left in his presidency, urged his successor to implement the complex deal that paves a path to the reconstruction of war-battered Gaza.“
At long last,” Biden said in remarks at the White House, “I can announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas,” which the U.S., Britain and other Western countries have designated as a terrorist group.
He added: “Fighting in Gaza will stop, and soon the hostages return home to their families.”A senior Biden administration official told reporters that two of the living American hostages — Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen — will be among the first hostages released. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, as is customary in such briefings.The deal takes effect Sunday, Biden’s final full day in office.
Qatar Plays major role in ceasefire
Israel and Hamas have agreed on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following meetings with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
The deal is set to begin on Sunday and will last 42 days. Announcing the deal in Doha yesterday, Prime Minister al-Thani said, it will lead to the release of Israeli captives and surging humanitarian aid to Gaza. According to Israeli media reports, the country’s security cabinet will meet today to approve the deal. A Hamas official said that it has approved the draft from mediators in Doha. Confirming the deal, US President Joe Biden said, American hostages would be freed in the first phase. In a social media post, US President-elect Donald Trump described the deal as ‘Epic’ and said, the agreement happened as a result of his historic election victory. The three-phase plan has not been published, but sources say, 33 of the hostages held by Hamas will reportedly be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails over the first six weeks of the ceasefire. Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a sustainable calm – will start after two weeks. The third and final stage will involve the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead.