Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage release agreement to halt more than a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip, President Biden and Qatar’s prime minister announced separately on Wednesday. Another source with knowledge of the negotiations told CBS News that a deal had been reached following the Qatari prime minister’s meeting with Hamas negotiators, and separately with Israeli negotiators, at his office.
The deal comes after a week of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt.
“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,” Mr. Biden said in a written statement. “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.”
As news of the deal broke, crowds gathered in Deir al Bala in Gaza, and celebratory gunfire was heard.
A draft of the deal had been agreed to in principle earlier in the week, Arab, U.S. and Israeli officials told CBS News. It sets out a phased framework for a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages still held by Hamas for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It also includes access for humanitarian aid to Gaza and the eventual ability of Palestinians in Gaza to return to areas they fled.
Intense negotiations had been underway in Doha for the past few weeks, with President Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, staying in the region for the better part of a month. McGurk has been closely coordinating with President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Mr. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Sunday about the negotiations.
In Israel, families of the approximately 100 hostages still being held after Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 2023 attack, which saw the group and allied militants kill about 1,200 people, have been holding regular rallies demanding a negotiated deal for the release of their loved ones. The Israel Defense Forces has said it believes around a third of the hostages have already died.
“We are deeply grateful that there is finally an agreement between Israel and Hamas to bring our loved ones — Omer, Edan, Sagui, Itay, Keith, Gad, and Judi — home,” the families of the American hostages in Gaza said in a statement. “We have been waiting for 467 days while our family members suffer from life-threatening injuries, abuse, torture, and sexual violence. We thank President Biden, President-elect Trump, and their teams for their constructive efforts to make this possible.”
More than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and most of Gaza’s population is displaced and living in camps. Humanitarian groups have been struggling to deliver aid, and experts have warned of famine.
Details of the deal have yet to be officially announced, but it appears to be based on an arrangement outlined by Mr. Biden last year.
According to a draft from mediator sources, viewed by CBS News earlier this week, it would consist of three phases, each lasting about 42 days.
During the first phase, Hamas would release 33 women and children hostages, as well as hostages over 50 years old, the draft viewed by CBS News said. For each woman or child hostage returned to Israel, Israel would release 30 Palestinian women and children from its prisons. Hamas would release all hostages over 50 years of age, and Israel would release 30 Palestinian prisoners aged 50 or older.
A senior Israeli official told CBS News that the release of hostages from Israel would begin on the first day of a 42-day ceasefire period.
On that first day, Hamas would release three hostages, according to the draft viewed by CBS News. On the seventh day, Hamas would release four hostages. Thereafter, Hamas would release three hostages taken from Israel every seven days, starting with the living and then moving on to return the bodies of those who have died.
During the exchange of hostages and prisoners, there would be a complete ceasefire in Gaza to allow aid to enter, the draft viewed by CBS News said. International aid groups and the United Nations would resume operations in Gaza, and would begin reconstruction of the enclave’s infrastructure, such as water, electricity and sewage systems.
The second phase of the deal would involve the release of all remaining male Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza, according to the document viewed by CBS News.
The third phase would include the exchange of bodies of hostages and prisoners, the beginning of the reconstruction of Gaza, and the opening of its borders.
Margaret Brennan, Marwan Al-Ghoul, Mais Al-Bayaa and Michal Ben-Gal contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
