Israel and Hamas reached a deal Wednesday for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, a major breakthrough in their 15-month war, which has wreaked destruction and inflamed tensions across the region.
An Israeli official briefed on the talks confirmed the deal to NBC News. The long-awaited agreement followed Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani’s meeting with Hamas negotiators and, separately, with Israeli negotiators.
News of the deal prompted joyful demonstrations in the streets in both Israel and Gaza late Wednesday, local time.
The developments come ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20 — a date seen by many as a de-facto deadline for mediation, after the president-elect vowed that there would be “hell to pay” unless Hamas released Israeli hostages by the time he enters office.
“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Mediators in Qatar on Monday presented the final draft of the deal to representatives from both sides, including the heads of Israel’s spy agency, Mossad.
Envoys for both President Joe Biden and Trump have been present at the latest rounds of negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the proposed deal was based on a framework that the Biden administration put forward in May.
Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, was testifying at his Senate confirmation hearing when news of the deal broke Wednesday. He noted the participation of Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, in talks held since Witkoff was announced.
“All involved deserve credit for the ceasefire that the [Senate committee] chairman has just announced,” said Rubio. “But Steve Witkoff has been a critical component of it, and he has been involved in it from day one.”
Witkoff is not yet an official envoy of the U.S. government, and will assume the position only after Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked American officials for their work in pushing for a ceasefire. The deal “looks much better than previously,” Saar told the media Monday, Reuters reported, adding: “I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”
Witkoff has also traveled several times to Qatar and Israel to partake in talks since being given the role.
Blinken described Witkoff’s involvement as “critical,” stressing the importance of ensuring that Trump will continue to support the deal once in office.
Over the last several months, both Hamas and Israeli officials have broadly agreed on achieving a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by the Gaza-based militant group.
But the enduring sticking point remained Hamas’ demand that a full hostage release must result in a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, while Israel’s leaders held that the Gaza campaign must continue until Hamas is dismantled.
Hamas planned and led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took a further 253 hostage. Around 116 of those captives have since been freed.
The October attack sparked the subsequent Israel-Hamas war and the relentless Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that Palestinian health authorities say has killed more than 46,000 people and destroyed the majority of the blockaded territory.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.