Israel and Hamas reached a deal Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, a major breakthrough in their 15-month war, which has wreaked destruction and inflamed tensions across the region.
Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said the deal would be implemented in three phases, starting Sunday, Jan. 19.
The first phase will include a full ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the populated areas of Gaza, said Biden. It will also feature the release by Hamas of many of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 2023 attacks, especially the wounded, the elderly and women. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for the hostages.
Also during phase one, Palestinians will be permitted to return to their homes in Gaza, many of which have been destroyed during the past year and half of fighting. The return of civilians will be accompanied by a surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza, said Biden.
This initial phase is intended to last six weeks, time that negotiators will use to finalize what Biden called “a permanent end of the war.” In the event that negotiations require more than six weeks, however, the president said the temporary ceasefire will remain in place.
Any remaining living hostages will be released during this second phase, Biden said. Likewise, Israeli soldiers will withdraw from the remaining areas of Gaza during that time, and “the ceasefire will become permanent.”
The breakthrough came just days ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20 — a date seen by many as a de-facto deadline for mediation, after Trump vowed that there would be “hell to pay” unless Hamas released Israeli hostages by the time he took office.
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.”
The final phase of the deal will involve the return by Hamas of the remains of any hostages who have been killed, as well as the implementation of a Gaza reconstruction plan.
With just days left in his administration, Biden acknowledged that the hard work of implementing this agreement will largely fall to the incoming Trump administration.
“These past few days, we’ve been speaking as one 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’s a genuine opportunity for a new future.”
News of the agreement prompted joyful demonstrations in the streets in both Israel and Gaza late Wednesday, local time.
Palestinians react to news on a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 15, 2025.
Mohammed Salem | Reuters
Envoys for both President Joe Biden and Trump have been present at the latest rounds of negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the proposed deal was based on a framework that the Biden administration put forward 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 held since Witkoff was announced.
Supporters of Israeli hostages, who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, hug each other, as they attend a protest to demand a deal to bring every hostage home at once, amid Gaza ceasefire negotiations, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 15, 2025.
Ronen Zvulun | Reuters
“All involved deserve credit for the ceasefire that the [Senate committee] chairman has just announced,” said Rubio. “But Steve Witkoff has been a critical component of it, and he has been involved in it from day one.”
Witkoff is not yet an official envoy of the U.S. government, and will assume the position only after Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.
Witkoff has also traveled several times to Qatar and Israel to partake in talks since being given the role.
Blinken described Witkoff’s involvement as “critical,” stressing the importance of ensuring that Trump will continue to support the deal once in office.
Palestinians react as they wait for news of a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025.
Mohammed Salem | Reuters
Over the last several months, both Hamas and Israeli officials have broadly agreed on achieving a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by the Gaza-based militant group.
But the enduring 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 Israel’s leaders held that the Gaza campaign must continue until Hamas is dismantled.
Hamas planned and led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took a further 253 hostage. Around 116 of those captives have since been freed.
The October attack sparked the subsequent Israel-Hamas war and the relentless Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that Palestinian health authorities say has killed more than 46,000 people and destroyed the majority of the blockaded territory.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.