Palestinians gather at the ruins of a house destroyed in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Ceasefire and hostage deal in between Israel and Hamas was reached, NBC News reports, marking a key advance in the the bloody 15-month war who has caused destruction and inflamed tensions throughout the region.
The events come ahead of the inauguration of the newly elected president Donald Trump January 20 – a date seen by many as the de facto deadline for mediation, after the president-elect promised there would be “hell to pay” if Hamas did not release Israeli hostages by the time he takes office.
On Monday, mediators in Qatar presented the final draft of the agreement to representatives of both sides, including the heads of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Hamas officials said progress had been made on some key issues, and a conclusion should be reached “soon,” Reuters reports.
Envoys of both presidents Joe Biden and Trump were present at the negotiations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the proposed deal builds on the framework outlined by the Biden administration in May.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked US officials for their work in promoting the ceasefire. The deal “looks much better than before,” Saar told media on Monday, according to Reuters, adding: “I want to thank our American friends for the enormous efforts they are making to secure the hostage deal.”
Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has also made several trips to Qatar and Israel to take part in negotiations since taking the role.
Blinken described Witkoff’s involvement as “critical,” stressing the importance of making sure Trump continues to support the deal once he’s in office.
Over the past few months, both Hamas and Israeli officials have largely agreed to reach a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by the Gaza-based militant group.
Demonstrators hold up banners during a protest calling for action to secure the release of Israelis held hostage in Gaza since October 2023, outside the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
Jack Guez | AFP | Getty Images
But a persistent point of contention remained Hamas’s demand that the full release of the hostages must result in the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and an end to the war, while Israeli leaders maintained that the Gaza campaign must continue until Hamas was disbanded.
Hamas planned and led an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people and took another 253 hostages. Since then, around 116 of those prisoners have been released.
The October attack sparked a subsequent war between Israel and Hamas and a relentless Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that Palestinian health authorities say has killed more than 46,000 people and destroyed most of the blockaded territory.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
