Supporters of Israeli hostages, who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, react to news on the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, during a protest to demand a deal to bring every hostage home, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the US and Qatar said, after 15 months of conflict that has inflamed the Middle East.

The complex accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

At a news conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect on Sunday. Negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on steps implementing the deal, he said.

US President Joe Biden also confirmed a deal had been struck that would take effect on Sunday.

“I can announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said at the White House. “This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.”

Families of Israeli hostages and their friends rejoiced at news of the deal in Tel Aviv.

“We, the families of 98 hostages, welcome with overwhelming joy and relief the agreement to bring our loved ones home,” the hostage families’ group said in a statement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also welcomed the agreement in a post on X/Twitter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Hamas had dropped a last-minute demand and there were still a number of unresolved items in the deal. “We hope that the details will be closed tonight,” it said in a statement.

Hamas, Gaza’s dominant Palestinian terrorist group, told Reuters its delegation had handed mediators its approval for the ceasefire agreement and return of hostages. Sami Abu Zuhri, an official for the Palestinian terrorist group, said that the accord was “a great gain.”

The road ahead is complex, with political minefields likely.

Phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 Israeli hostages including all women, children, and men over 50.

Negotiations on implementing the second phase will begin by the 16th day of phase one and it is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The third phase is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States, and comes just ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

TRUMP SEES REGIONAL PEACE MOMENTUM FROM DEAL

US President-elect Donald Trump said he would use the ceasefire deal as momentum to expand the Abraham Accords — US-backed agreements struck during his first presidency in 2017-21 that normalized Israel‘s relations with several Arab countries.

Trump, who repeatedly threatened there would be “hell to pay” if hostages were not released ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration, said he was “thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home.”

If successful, the planned ceasefire could halt fighting in Gaza that is still ongoing between Israel and Hamas, which launched the war with its invasion of the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023.

That in turn could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between arch regional foes Israel and Iran.

Even if the warring sides implement the current deal, it will still require further negotiation before there is a lasting ceasefire and the release of all the hostages.

MASSIVE TASK OF RECONSTRUCTION

If all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states, and Israel still must agree on a vision for post-war Gaza, a formidable challenge involving security guarantees for Israel and billions of dollars in investment for rebuilding.

One unanswered question is who will run Gaza after the war.

Israel has rejected any involvement by Hamas, which had ruled Gaza since 2007, but it has been almost equally opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority, the body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that has limited governing power in the West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting a visit to Europe short and flying home overnight to take part in security cabinet and government votes on the deal — meaning the votes would likely be by or on Thursday.

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the conflict when they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages to Gaza during their invasion of and massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7. Jerusalem responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza.

Gaza’s conflict spilled over across the Middle East, with Iranian-backed proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen targeting Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Hamas attack took Israel by surprise. Israel responded by decimating Iran’s terrorist proxies — Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas — with assassinations of their top leaders, and the Dec. 8 fall of ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left Iran vulnerable.

As his inauguration approached, Trump repeated his demand that a deal be done swiftly, warning repeatedly that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released by the time he took office. His Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff worked with President Joe Biden’s team to push the deal over the line.

“Donald Trump’s pressure tactics and warnings to Hamas and Israel have clearly been effective in reviving the drawn-out negotiations where the Biden administration proved unwilling to exert adequate pressure over Israel‘s leadership,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think-tank in London.

“After too many months of conflict, we feel tremendous relief for the hostages, for their families and for the people of Gaza,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said. “Let’s hope this ceasefire will put an end to the fighting and mark the beginning of a sustained peace.”