Israel, Hamas Reportedly Agree To Gaza Ceasefire And Hostage Release

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been negotiated to end the 15-month long war in Gaza. Per NBC News, Israel and Hamas have not officially announced the deal, but senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the agreement, which will free dozens of hostages being held in Gaza and Palestinians being held in Israeli jail.

This marks the first “break in violence” since their weeklong truce ended in December 2023.

“We are very happy to reach a deal today to stop the aggression against our people, but unfortunately we [weren’t] able to reach the same deal last May,” Naim said in a statement.

When speaking about the agreement, President Joe Biden stated, “It’s a very good afternoon, because at long last I can announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of conflict […] More than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families, the Israeli people. More than 15 months of suffering by the innocent people of Gaza. Fighting in Gaza will stop. And soon the hostages will return home to their families.”

Implementation of the ceasefire is expected to go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19 per CNN. One source did note, however, that Israel’s Supreme Court would have 24 hours to permit an appeal, so the earliest a ceasefire could go into effect would be Friday, Jan. 17.

“Qatar, Egypt and the United States are glad to declare the success of joint mediation efforts after warring parties in Gaza reached an agreement to exchange prisoners and hostages,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who also serves as Qatar’s foreign minister, told journalists in Doha.

Since the initial October 2023 attack, over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.