Israel, Hamas reach Gaza ceasefire deal in 15-month war: Qatari PM
Accord has yet to be approved by Israeli cabinet, does not guarantee lasting truce
The latest:
- Qatar's prime minister announces a ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas.
- It could take effect as early as Sunday.
- Hamas calls the accord an "achievement for our people," after 15 months of war in Gaza.
- Netanyahu's office says final details are still being ironed out; cabinet is set to vote by Thursday.
- Biden says all U.S. hostages will be released in the first stage of a three-phase ceasefire.
Israel and Hamas have reached a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza, release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and open a path to end 15 months of bloodshed in the devastated enclave, Qatar's prime minister announced Wednesday.
It comes after Israel has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians and injured over 110,000 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has also displaced most of Gaza's population and reduced much of the territory to rubble in its fight against Hamas, whose attack on the country on Oct. 7, 2023 precipitated the war. This war marks the deadliest in decades of conflict between the two.
The phased deal, if approved by Israel's cabinet, would go into effect on Sunday, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet is expected to vote by Thursday.
It also does not guarantee a permanent truce between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement Wednesday, Hamas called the deal an "achievement for our people."
"The agreement is a milestone in the conflict with the enemy, on the path to achieving our people's goals of liberation and return."
But despite the outpouring reactions following the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the final details were still being sorted out in the ceasefire deal with Hamas. It didn't say whether a deal had been reached.
The complex accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Deal has mechanism to prevent collapse
Al Thani said the agreed-upon deal has a mechanism in place that prevents it from collapsing.
"We know that these kinds of agreements are very complex and will have some issues down the line," Al Thani said Wednesday. "We are ready and we will stay committed to address those issues."
U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed the ceasefire deal Wednesday, adding that all U.S. hostages will be released in the first phase of the ceasefire.
"Fighting in Gaza will stop, and soon the hostages return home to their families," he said.
Phase 1 of the deal, which will span 42 days, will include the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children and men over 50.
Israel will also gradually reduce forces in the Philadelphi corridor bordering Egypt during the first phase, with forces completely withdrawing no later than day 50, according to a copy of the deal seen by Reuters. The corridor was a stumbling block in past efforts to secure a ceasefire deal, with Egypt demanding Israel pulls out after seizing it in May.
Negotiations on implementing the second phase will begin by the 16th day of Phase 1 and it is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third phase is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza's reconstruction, supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
An emotional day in Gaza
Elated Palestinians took to the streets late Wednesday to celebrate news of the agreement, while others were trained on their phones and radios for details of the deal. Amjad Shawa, co-ordinator for the Palestinian NGO Network, said he was joyful but still nervous the deal would fall through as others had before.
"Already, people are celebrating the ceasefire and myself, I am celebrating ending this war and opening a new page of our life," Shawa told CBC's As It Happens from Deir al-Balah.
"If this does not happen, it will be a really big catastrophe within the big catastrophe that we are living in."
The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States, and comes just ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
News of the deal garnered international reaction from world leaders, who pushed for a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas.
Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal, urging a commitment to an end of what it called Israeli aggression on Gaza, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he welcomes the Gaza ceasefire deal and hopes it will open the door for lasting peace and stability for Palestinians and the region, adding that Turkey will continue to stand with and support those in Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the accord must be respected, further calling for a political solution to be found.
"After 15 months of unjustifiable suffering, there is immense relief for the people of Gaza and hope for the hostages and their families," he said.
Israeli families of hostages welcome truce
Sharone Lifschitz, whose father Oded is being held in Gaza, told the AP by phone she was stunned and grateful, but won't believe it until she sees all the hostages come home.
"I'm so desperate to see them if by some miracle my father has survived," she said.
Meanwhile in Israel, the Hostage Families Forum, which represents many relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, says it welcomes the agreement "with overwhelming joy and relief."
"After 460 days of our family members being held in Hamas tunnels, we are closer than ever to reuniting with our loved ones," the group said in a statement shortly after the agreement was announced.
Months of ceasefire talks led up to deal
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, after a midnight "breakthrough" in talks attended by envoys of both outgoing Biden and Trump.
Negotiations intensified in hopes of finalizing an agreement before Biden leaves the White House on Monday.
The deal "ironically shows how effective actual pressure can be in changing Israeli government behaviour," said Nancy Okail, head of the U.S.-based Center for International Policy.
She accused Netanyahu of long stalling such a deal, and faulted Biden for not raising the stakes for the Israeli prime minister in his continued objections to proposed terms.
In the past, hostages were said to be one key sticking point in the negotiations. Israel insisted on retaining a military presence in Gaza, but Hamas refused to release captives until the troops pulled out.
Inauguration day in the U.S. was widely seen as an unofficial deadline to reach a deal. Trump had warned "all hell" would break out if hostages were not freed by the time his second term began.
Israel launched its air and ground assault on Gaza after fighters led by Hamas stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel has said roughly 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza, but it is unclear how many are alive.
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With files from Reuters and The Associated Press