Gaza ceasefire deal reached, Qatar confirms - as Biden announces hostage release and 'permanent end to the war'

15 January 2025, 16:21 | Updated: 16 January 2025, 09:20

A Gaza ceasefire agreement has been reached, Qatar has confirmed - as President Joe Biden announced the imminent release of US and Israeli hostages.

Qatar - which has been mediating the negotiations - announced on Wednesday evening that Israel and Hamas had come to an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage deal, following 15 months of fierce fighting.

President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to claim credit for the deal, announcing the hostages will be "released shortly".

"WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!" he wrote on Wednesday.

The deal comes a week into negotiations, which have been ongoing in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Shortly after word of the ceasefire emerged, celebrations broke out in both southern Gaza and Israel, with locals in Tel Aviv pictured dropping their placards and embracing one another as flares filled the skies with smoke.

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The breakthrough will ultimately allow thousands of of displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to what remains of the war-torn region, with essential humanitarian aid granted access.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, President Joe Biden, who will serve the last day of his presidency on Monday, confirmed the deal.

He told reporters that the ceasefire deal had been "one of the toughest negotiations" he has ever experienced.

Biden added that negotiations had reached this point because of the mounting pressure "Israel built on Hamas backed by the United States".

Confirming the deal would involve three phases, he announced Hamas will release American hostages in the first phase. 

Phase two will bring about a "permanent end to the war", Biden says, but many details still need to be negotiated during the initial ceasefire.

Phase three of the deal would see the remains of any deceased hostages who have been killed returned to their families - at which point a "major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin".

He then confirmed that if those negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will remain in place for longer.

Following the announcement, Trump claimed credit for the deal, writing on Truth Social: "We have achieved so much without even being in the White House.

"Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my Administration is fully confirmed, so they can secure more Victories for the United States!"

Labelling it an "EPIC ceasefire agreement", the president-elect said the deal came as a "result of our Historic Victory in November".

He added the move "signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies."

It follows initial reports that Gaza ceasefire talks hit by a "last-minute snag", an Israeli official has said earlier in the day.

A deal was widely expected to be signed this week, with Hamas reportedly agreeing to the peace plan.

But according to AP, one Israeli official has been quoted as saying negotiations have hit a "last-minute snag" which is currently holding up the agreement.

It comes as the Qatari PM is set to hold a press conference to discuss the plan later today.

It comes after President Joe Biden, and incoming President Donald Trump both suggested a deal was on the verge of being agreed.

US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was "on the brink" on Monday, while Donald Trump suggested a ceasefire could be agreed by the end of the week.

The draft agreement includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.

According to a report from the Times of Israel, the ceasefire deal, which is yet to be finalised, would come in the form of a phased agreement.

The first stages would see Hamas release 33 so-called “humanitarian” hostages, including children, women, the elderly, female soldiers and those suffering from illness.

The Israeli government reportedly believes most of these hostages are still alive but are yet to receive official confirmation.

Sixteen days after a ceasefire is signed, Israel will begin negotiations for the release of all remaining captives, including military-age men, male soldiers and the bodies of dead hostages.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal ‘on the brink’ of agreement, says David Lammy

94 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 are believed to be alive in Gaza.

34 have been confirmed dead by the IDF.

In exchange, Israel will reportedly return a slew of Palestinian prisoners - more than 3,660 Palestinians are being held in Israel under administrative detention as of last year.

The Saudi TV station al-Hadath reports that high-profile figures such as Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Intifada leader, who is serving multiple life terms for murder, will not be included in the deal.

The ceasefire would not see Israel withdraw from Gaza. Instead, a new buffer zone will be erected where the IDF stations troops to “defend” the country’s border.

At least 46,584 Palestinian people have been killed and 109,731 injured since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in the wake of the October 7 attacks in 2023.

The vast majority of those killed in Israel’s bombardments have been women and children

This is a breaking story, more follows...