After nearly a year and a half of fighting, Hamas and Israel have agreed to a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, according to the White House. Hamas will release dozens of women, older men and ill hostages as part of the agreement, the details of which are still being ironed out.
The Jerusalem Post said Israel agreed to release 1,000 Palestinians held in prison in exchange for 34 hostages held by Hamas. The hostages will be released a few at a time over the six-week period, according to The New York Times.
Hamas is still holding nearly 100 people hostage in Gaza, with a third believed to be dead, according to the Times.
The Red Cross has briefed Israel’s President Isaac Herzog “on the preparations for the transfer of the hostages and the various challenges they face,” according to Israel National News.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had mentioned the possibility of a deal Tuesday, saying, “We’re on the brink” of a deal in Israel.
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced, “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!
What does the ceasefire deal look like?
Negotiations between the two sides had stalled for months, but this week’s meetings in Cairo finally appeared to bear fruit. Both President Joe Biden and Trump sent envoys to the talks, which was mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, per The Associated Press.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Biden spoke Sunday about the deal, according to The Associated Press. If achieved before he leaves office on Jan. 20, the ceasefire may mean a foreign policy victory for Biden, as well as for Trump.
Trump placed pressure on Hamas in a statement made shortly after his election, when he said, “If those hostages aren’t back by the time I’m back in office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good frankly for anyone. All hell will break out.”
Families of the hostages celebrated the news amid a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
A resident in the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Fares, 24, told The New York Times over whistling and celebratory gunshots, “Praise God, this tragedy is over.”
This story is breaking and will updated.
Contributing: Sydney Jezik