Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 15 Jan
A CEASEFIRE AND prisoner exchange deal has been reached in negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha, Qatar.
However, a statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister said the final details have yet to be worked out.
“The two belligerents in the Gaza Strip have reached a deal on the prisoner and the hostage swap, and (the mediators) announce a ceasefire in the hopes of reaching a permanent ceasefire between the two sides,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told a press conference this evening.
Al-Thani announced the agreement at a press conference and said the ceasefire will come into effect on Sunday.
“We hope that this will be the last page of the war, and we hope that all parties will commit to implementing all the terms of this agreement,” the prime minister said.
“In phase one, Hamas will be releasing 33 Israeli captives, including civilian women and female recruits, as well as children, elderly people… in return for a number of prisoners who are being held in Israeli prisons,” Al-Thani said.
Also in the first phase, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza to “allow for the swap of prisoners, as well as the swap of remains and the return of the displaced people to their residences”, the prime minister said.
The number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the Israeli hostages in the second and third phases would be “finalised” during the inital 42 days, he added.
The Qatari prime minister said that there will be “a follow-up mechanism” which aims to ensure the parties abide by the ceasefire.
The announcement came after widespread media reports it had been agreed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement just before the announcement saying that some issues have yet to be resolved, but that the hope was for those sticking points to be “finalised” tonight.
“Several clauses in the framework remain unresolved, and we hope that the details will be finalised tonight,” his office said in a statement as media around the world reported officials from both parties had confirmed the deal was done.
In a later statement at midnight in Israel, Netanyahu’s office said:
“An official statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be issued only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present.”
The deal will have to be approved by the Israeli security council and government ministers, in a vote expected to take place tomorrow.
Hamas’s chief negotiator said the group “will not forgive” the suffering inflicted by Israel in Gaza.
“On behalf of all the victims, every drop of blood spilt and every tear of pain and oppression, we say: We will not forget, and we will not forgive,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’s political bureau and head of its Gaza branch.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, said the deal was the “right move” to bring back the hostages from Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has cut short a trip to Europe in order to fly back to Jerusalem tonight.
“He will return to Israel tonight to participate in the discussions and votes on the matter expected to take place in the security cabinet and government,” his spokesman said.
Thousands of Gazans have begun celebrating as news of a deal has spread. Crowds of people, including family members of hostages, have also gathered in Tel Aviv.
AFP journalists in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah and other areas witnessed people gathering in groups, hugging and taking photos with their mobile phones to mark the announcement.
The war was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead.
Since then, Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 46,700 people and devastated large swaths of the Palestinian territory.
Taoiseach Simon Harris welcomed the announcement “after 15 months of immense human suffering and destruction”. Harris said he hoped the Israeli government would now formally approve the agreement.
“I hope that all sides will seize this opportunity, fully honouring their commitments, allowing hostages to return to their families and the people of Gaza to begin rebuilding their lives and I hope that it will lead to a permanent arrangement,” Harris said.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin also welcomed the news but said that now aid must be allowed to enter Gaza.
“We need to see a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid into Gaza, return of basic services and a clear framework under which those displaced as part of the conflict can return,” he said in a statement.
“Palestinian Authority governance is crucial in this regard, as is the role of UN and humanitarian agencies, including UNRWA, who must be allowed to operate fully and without hindrance.”
The Palestinian Authority has limited governing control of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, but holds no sway over the Gaza Strip.
President Michael D Higgins said the deal was to be welcomed by “those at the edge of survival itself”.
“It is to be hoped that today’s agreement will not only bring an end to the horrific loss of life and destruction which has taken place, but that it will also be the beginning of a meaningful discussion and sustained diplomatic initiative from the international community to bring a lasting peace and security to Israel, Palestine and the greater region – a peace for which so many have hoped for so long,” he said in a statement.
“This will be a difficult road, but a road that must be travelled if those who have suffered on both sides are to envision a future of security and peace.”
Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 15, 2025
My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done – I will speak more about this soon. pic.twitter.com/iETWhGXEGA
US President Joe Biden he was “thrilled” that hostages would be freed under a deal between Israel and Hamas and credited “dogged and painstaking” US diplomacy for reaching the accord.
“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” Biden said in a statement.
“Phase One will last six weeks. It includes a full and complete cease fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas,” Biden said in a White House speech.
“During the next six weeks, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war,” he added.
The agreement is reportedly almost identical to the one put forward by Biden in May last year.
Asked if he believed the agreement would hold, Biden said he was “confident”.
Today's agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire, the release of hostages and access for humanitarian aid is welcome after 15 months of immense human suffering and destruction.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) January 15, 2025
My full statement below: pic.twitter.com/7pVGFODhgn
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pointed to the “importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza as he welcomed the agreement.
Sisi, whose country neighbours Gaza and whose government helped negotiate the truce, said the deal came after “strenuous efforts over more than a year of Egyptian, Qatari and US mediation”.
Jordan welcomed the agreement while urging global action to ensure the “sufficient and durable” delivery of aid to the territory.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said it was “imperative” the newly struck ceasefire removes obstacles to aid deliveries.
“It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent life-saving humanitarian support,” he said.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the announcement, urging both sides to “fully implement” the deal.
“Both parties must fully implement this agreement, as a stepping stone toward lasting stability in the region and a diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” she posted on X.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal was “the long overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for”.
“They have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas,” he said in a statement, adding that attention should now turn to how to secure a “permanently better future… grounded in a two-state solution”.
Humanitarian organisations and charities have responded positively to the announcement of a ceasefire but have also criticised the negotiating parties and mediators for the length of time it took to materialise.
Amnesty International, UNICEF both called the agreement “overdue”.
The International Committee of the Red Cross’ President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement:
“This nightmare has gone on for far too long. The suffering must end. Civilians in Gaza need protection and humanitarian aid. The hostages need to come home,” she said, asking “all sides to put humanity first and respect the rules of war”.
She said “the coming days are critical and we are counting on the parties to hold to their commitments”.
“While the agreement is welcome, it is not the end,” she said.
Incoming US president Donald Trump has taken credit for getting the deal over the line.
He took to his Truth Social website and pronounced:
“WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
In a subsequent post, Trump said:
“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.”
President Biden was asked if he or Trump deserved credit, to which he responded: “Is that a joke?”
With reporting by AFP
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say