President-elect Donald Trump first announced on Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities quickly confirmed that an agreement had been reached to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 atrocity.
“There is an agreement regarding the hostages in the Middle East. It will be released soon. Thank you!” Trump said ET on Truth Social, his preferred social media platform.
“This EPIC cease-fire agreement could only have come about as a result of the historic victory in November, because it meant that our administration sought peace and negotiated an agreement that ensures the safety of all Americans and our allies. Because we showed the world that we will,” President Trump elaborated. In follow-up messages, it is written in uppercase letters, just like the original.
“With this agreement in place, my national security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, continues to work closely with Israel and our allies to ensure that Gaza never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists. I'm going,'' he said. Said.
Witkoff traveled He and other representatives from the outgoing Biden administration will head to Doha, Qatar, over the weekend to work with mediators between Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement. People familiar with the talks credited Trump's influence in breaking the long stalemate and setting the stage for Sunday's “midnight breakthrough” that made the deal possible.
israeli official said of era of israel (TOI) announced on Wednesday that Hamas had “come to terms on the Philadelphia Corridor issue,” making an agreement possible.
“However, the framework has not been fully finalized and there are many details that have yet to be finalized,” the official said minutes after President Trump wrote a triumphant post on social media. .
The Philadelphia Corridor is a narrow, barren stretch of land on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been claimed that Israel must maintain control of the territory after the ceasefire agreement to prevent Hamas from using the tunnels to smuggle further arms into Gaza.
Israeli sources said Hamas demanded that Israel withdraw from many of its shipping companies in Philadelphia, almost forcing a new cease-fire and hostage agreement to be scrapped at the 11th hour. Hamas apparently withdrew these demands shortly after making them.
Toi Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, confirmed that Hamas had accepted the agreement. Israel's Security Cabinet is reportedly scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at 11 a.m. Thursday to approve the deal. make it shorter I hurried back from Hungary to visit Europe and attend a conference.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets with Red Cross President Mirjana Sporjaric to discuss the relocation of Israeli hostages and addressing their medical needs.
Updated at 1:05 PM ET: said a senior Arab official from one of the “mediating countries,” perhaps Qatar or Egypt. era of israel He said some “minor” issues with the deal still needed to be resolved, including Israel's process for vetting the roughly 1,000 Palestinian prisoners it agreed to release. Some of these prisoners are currently serving life sentences for felonies. According to Arab officials, Hamas has agreed for Israel to release these prisoners to an “agreed third country.”
of jerusalem post office reported The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Ministry of Defense were ordered to prepare for an operation called “Sparrow's Wings” to recover hostages released by Hamas, and then begin the withdrawal from Gaza.
Updated at 1:20pm ET: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office answered Reacting to news of the deal, he said a ceasefire agreement “has not yet been reached” as some “final details” are still being worked out.
Updated at 1:35pm ET: egyptian state media reported It said preparations were underway to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza. Egypt will then try to “bring the maximum possible aid to the Gaza Strip.”
Gaza's civil defense agency urged residents to avoid celebratory shooting as news of the deal spread.
“We call on people to refrain from firing into the air for fear of injuring displaced people in tents and shelters. We do not want to grieve any more martyrs or wounded people,” the authorities said.
Updated, 2:05 PM EST: Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced the release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which will take effect on Sunday.
Updated: 2:25 PM EST: Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and National Unity Committee chairman Benny Gantz welcomed Hostage transaction. “The whole country is waiting with bated breath” for the return of Israelis abducted by Hamas, Lapid said. Both men pledged political support to Prime Minister Netanyahu to implement the agreement.
“On behalf of the entire nation, I want to send a huge thank you to President Trump and his team, President Biden, the Qataris and the Egyptians. We owe this to everyone and to whom we would not have done without. This shouldn't have happened,'' Lapid said. Said.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden said: “This agreement halts fighting in Gaza, expands much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunites hostages and their families who have been held for more than 15 months.'' It will be,” he said. said said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“I outlined the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, which was subsequently approved unanimously by the United Nations Security Council. My diplomacy has never stopped striving to achieve this. ” Biden claimed.
Updated at 3pm ET: President Biden said the ceasefire agreement would be implemented in three stages. During the first six weeks, Israel will withdraw from “all populated areas of Gaza” and all residents will be allowed to return home. Hamas plans to free a “large number” of hostages, including women, the elderly and the injured. Biden said Americans held by Hamas will be the first to be released.
In the first phase, Israel will also release “hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners and allow a “surge of humanitarian aid” to the Gaza Strip.
If the first six weeks go as planned, the second phase will begin, ostensibly with the release of all remaining Hamas hostages and the withdrawal of all remaining Israeli forces from Gaza. This will make the temporary ceasefire in the first phase “permanent.”
The third phase, sometime in late 2025, will involve the release of the remains of hostages who died in Hamas's captivity, while a “reconstruction plan” for Gaza will begin.
