'Progress' made in Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal after Trump warned 'all hell will break loose' if hostages were not freed

13 January 2025, 11:39

Significant progress has been made on a peace deal between Israel and Hamas which would include the release of all October 7 hostages.

It comes after President-elect Donald Trump warned “all hell would break loose” in the Middle East if the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas were not released by the time he takes office next week.

Speaking on Monday, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said: “Progress has been made, and I hope that within a short time we will see things happening.

“But it is still to be proved.”

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.

Read more: Trump demands return of Israeli hostages by January 20 or 'all heTrump demands return of Israeli hostages by January 20 or 'all hell will break out in Middle East'll will break out in Middle East'

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

One person familiar with the ceasefire talks said there had been a breakthrough overnight and that there was a proposed deal on the table, PA reports.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators will now take it back to their leaders for final approval, the person said.

Mediators from Qatar have increased pressure on Hamas to come to an agreement, while US envoy Steve Witkoff has been pushing the Israelis.

An Egyptian official said there had been good progress overnight but that it would likely take a few more days, and that the sides were aiming for a deal before Mr Trump's January 20 inauguration.

A third official said the talks were in a good place but had not been wrapped up. That official also assessed that a deal was possible before the inauguration.

A Hamas official, however, said a number of contentious issues still need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the hostage-prisoner exchange.

Speaking last week, Donald Trump warned of consequences in the Middle East if Hamas failed to release the hostages.

"All hell will break out in Middle East if hostages aren't returned by time I'm in office," Trump stated during the speech on Tuesday.

The President-elect added that during his first stint as president, the US "had no wars" - at one point, adding that he "saved NATO".

"Now I'm going into a world that's burning," the President-elect told waiting media, highlighting both the war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas.