Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal that will bring an end to the 15-month war that has ravaged Gaza, multiple outlets have reported. The agreement will free dozens of hostages kidnapped by Hamas as well as Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas led an unprecedented terrorist attack in which 1,195 Israelis were killed and hundreds taken hostage. Since then, Israel has led a brutal retaliatory siege in Gaza and near-total blockade. More than 46,000 Palestinans have been killed in the offensive, with some estimates placing the total death toll at more than 64,000. The brutality of the war has spurred accusations of engineered famine, war crimes and genocide against Palestinians trapped in the Gaza strip.
In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.
Details of the deal have not been formally released and must still be approved by Israeli officials. Netanhayu’s office said on Wednesday that a deal had not yet been finalized.
While President Joe Biden and his administration have periodically criticized Israel’s handling of the war and its blockade, they have backed Israel with aid and firepower, even as Netanyahu rebuffed their calls for a ceasefire, temporary or otherwise. Biden responded to the news of the ceasefire in a statement. “Today, after many months of diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal,” the outgoing president wrote, adding that “we are determined to bring all of the [hostages in Gaza] home under the deal.”
Meanwhile, incoming President-elect Donald Trump took credit for the deal, proclaiming on Truth Social: “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, 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. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Trump may have a point: He publicly demanded that the war end before Jan. 20, when he will be sworn in again as president. And his Middle East envoy, businessman Steve Witkoff, reportedly demanded that Netanyahu meet on a Saturday, during the Sabbath, and quickly agree to a deal.
Now, Israel has agreed to a deal that is reportedly substantially similar to the framework proposed by the Biden administration many months ago, in May 2024.
While Trump will likely receive plaudits for ending the brutal war, there could be more shoes to drop: Israeli leaders and supporters are hopeful that Trump will support Israel’s desire to annex more Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank.