Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire in Gaza and an agreement on hostages

Israel and Hamas on wednesday an agreement was reached on a ceasefire and the release of hostages to end it 15-month war in the Gaza Strip, which has caused destruction and inflamed tensions throughout the region.

News of the deal sparked jubilant demonstrations in the streets of Israel and the Gaza enclave late Wednesday, setting the stage for an end to a conflict that has killed about 1,200 people in the Jewish state and more than 46,000 in the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials. and Palestinian health authorities.

Speaking at the White House, the President Joe Biden he said that the agreement will be implemented in three phases, which could start as early as Sunday, January 19.

Israel’s security cabinet still has to vote on the deal before it can be implemented, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the government to “accept and approve” it during an address to the nation from his office.

If the deal is approved, the first phase will include a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the populated areas of the Gaza enclave, Biden said.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani — whose country played a key mediating role during the latest talks and in brokering a temporary ceasefire in the fighting in November 2023 — said the first phase would last 42 days and would see Hamas freed 33 Israeli prisoners taken during the raid on October 7, 2023, in exchange for “a number of prisoners” currently in prison in Israel.

During this first phase, an increased flow of aid and humanitarian aid will be deployed to all parts of the Gaza Strip, while hospitals and health centers will be rebuilt and critical fuel supplies will arrive in the enclave, al Thani told a news conference. conference in Doha on Wednesday.

Humanitarian organizations have previously warned of the threat of famine and epidemics in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the lack or destruction of food and water supplies and sanitary facilities.

Also during the first phase, Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes in the Gaza Strip, many of which have been destroyed during the past year and a half of fighting. The return of civilians will be accompanied by an increase in humanitarian aid to the enclave, according to Biden.

The details of the second and third phases of the agreement will be finalized during the implementation of the first phase, al Thani said, with the US noting that a temporary ceasefire would remain in place if the talks required more than six weeks.

Biden said all remaining hostages alive would be freed during this second phase. Likewise, during that time, Israeli soldiers will withdraw from the remaining areas of Gaza and “the cease-fire will become permanent.”

The final phase of the deal will include the implementation of the Gaza reconstruction plan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the proposed deal builds on the framework outlined by the Biden administration in May.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the agreement as a “big win,” Reuters reports.

CNBC has reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office for comment.

The Israel Defense Forces posted a message related to the deal on X, writing “Wings of Freedom is the name given to the IDF’s preparations for the return of the hostages.”

International leaders and key figures welcomed the cease-fire agreement, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — another critical mediator in the truce talks — pointing out in a Google Translated posting on social networks “the importance of speeding up the entry of emergency humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, in order to face the current catastrophic humanitarian situation, without any obstacles.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres praised the deal and called on “everyone to enable swift, unimpeded and safe humanitarian assistance for all civilians in need,” pledging to “do everything humanly possible, mindful of the serious challenges we will face.”

“After 15 months of unjustified ordeal, a huge relief for the people of Gaza, hope for the hostages and their families,” French President Emmanuel Macron he saidas translated by CNBC. A political solution must happen.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeted “long overdue news” and said his country and its allies “will continue to be at the forefront of these crucial efforts to break the cycle of violence and ensure long-term peace in the Middle East.”

The breakthrough came just days before the inauguration of the newly elected president Donald Trump January 20 – a date seen by many as the de facto deadline for mediation, after Trump promised there would be “hell to pay” if Hamas did not release Israeli hostages by the time he takes office.

Representatives of both Biden and Trump were present at the last rounds of negotiations.

With only a few days left in his term, Biden acknowledged that the hard work of implementing this deal will fall largely on the incoming Trump administration.

“For the past few days, we’ve been talking as a team,” the president said of his team and Trump’s. “As I prepare to leave office, our friends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there is a real opportunity for a new future.”

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

But a persistent point of contention remained Hamas’s demand that the full release of the hostages must result in the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and an end to the war, while Israeli leaders maintained that the Gaza campaign must continue until Hamas was disbanded.