The Israeli cabinet is expected to vote Thursday (Today) on whether to ratify a highly anticipated ceasefire and hostage release deal agreed between Hamas and Israel.
The agreement, expected go into effect Sunday, would deliver the first reprieve from war for the people of Gaza in more than a year, and only the second since the Israeli bombardment began 15 months ago.
Families of hostages expressed joy and relief following the announcement of the deal, which would initially see 33 hostages held in Gaza released in exchange for hundreds of prisoners held by Israel.
International aid agencies welcomed the deal and vowed to scale up their work in Gaza. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees called for “rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access” to the strip to relieve the suffering caused by war.
The agreement was brokered with an “almost unprecedented” level of cooperation between the Biden and Trump camps, a senior US official said. US President Joe Biden said talks will go beyond the temporary ceasefire to a phase two that could include “a permanent end of the war.”
President Biden said the plan, which he first outlined eight months ago, was "the result not only of the extreme pressure Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and the weakening of Iran - but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy".
"Even as we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in Hamas's 7 October attack, and the many innocent people killed in the war that followed," a statement added. "It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin."
At a later news conference, Biden also acknowledged the assistance of President-elect Donald Trump, who put pressure on both parties by demanding hostages be released before his inauguration on Monday.
"In these past few days, we've been speaking as one team," he said, noting that most of the implementation of the deal would happen after he left office.
Trump was first to confirm reports the agreement had been reached, beating the White House and Qatar to a formal announcement.
In a later post on social media, he attempted to take the credit for the "epic" agreement, saying it "could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office thanked Trump "for his help in promoting the release of the hostages, and for helping Israel end the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families".
"The prime minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all the hostages by any means necessary," it said, before adding that he had also thanked Biden.
Later, the office said an official statement from Netanyahu would "be issued only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present".
Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, said the deal would bring with it "deeply painful" moments and "present significant challenges", but that it was "the right move".
The agreement is expected to be approved by the Israeli cabinet, possibly as soon as Thursday morning, despite opposition from Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners.
Then the names of all the Palestinian prisoners due for release will be made public by the Israeli government, and the families of any victims will be given 48 hours to appeal. Some of the prisoners are serving life sentences after being convicted of murder and terrorism.
Hamas's chief negotiator and acting Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, said the agreement represented "a milestone in the conflict with the enemy, on the path to achieving our people's goals of liberation and return".
The group, he added, would now seek to "rebuild Gaza again, alleviate the pain, heal the wounds".
But he also warned "we will not forget, and we will not forgive" the suffering inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza.
Celebrations erupted across Gaza as news of the agreement spread
As news of the agreement emerged, pictures showed people cheering and waving Palestinian flags in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis.
Sanabel, a 17-year-old girl living to the north in Gaza City, told BBC OS: "All of us are delighted."
"We have been waiting for this for a long time," she said. "Finally, I will put my head on my pillow without worrying... It is time to heal."
Nawara al-Najjar, whose husband was among more than 70 people killed when Israeli forces launched an operation to rescue two hostages, said: "After the ceasefire I want to give my children the best life."
"I want them to get over the fear we lived. My children are really scared. The terror has settled in their hearts."
International aid agencies are calling for an urgent and major scaling up of humanitarian access to Gaza, following Israel and Hamas’s agreement to a ceasefire-hostage deal.
Many welcomed the deal and vowed to scale up their work in the Palestinian enclave, where 15 months of constant Israeli bombardment and restrictions on aid have caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
UNRWA: The main humanitarian aid group in Gaza called for “rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war.” Some 2 million people rely on the agency for aid, with 1 million people using UNRWA shelters for food and health care amid the fighting in the enclave.
UNICEF: The UN children’s fund said the deal was “long overdue.” At least 14,500 children have been killed and the war has left “17,000 unaccompanied or separated from their parents,” it said. The group called on both parties to allow the “necessary level of aid into Gaza” so that it could “increase the screening and treatment of children suffering from malnutrition” and “facilitate vaccination catch-up for 420,000 children under 5 years.”
World Food Programme: The WFP said it has enough food along the borders and on its way to Gaza to feed over a million people for three months, but it needs urgent funds. To be able to scale up and distribute the aid, it also “needs all border crossings open and functioning reliably. We also need humanitarian teams to be able to move freely and safely across Gaza to reach those in need.”
Red Cross: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it is prepared to help implement the deal. The group helped to facilitate the release of 109 hostages along with 154 Palestinian detainees in 2023, and said these operations “are highly complex and require meticulous logistical and security planning to minimize the risk to life.” The ICRC said it is “prepared to massively scale up our humanitarian response in Gaza” and warned the immense humanitarian needs will “take months, if not years” to address.
Norwegian Refugee Council: The NRC called on Israel to immediately lift all restrictions on aid and aid agencies “to avert famine-like conditions and ensure access to shelter, food, and medical care for all in need.” The NRC drew attention to the mass destruction in Gaza and the need to repair and rebuild homes, schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. The group said its teams on the ground stand ready to “scale up our efforts, helping families begin the long process of rebuilding their lives.”
International Rescue Committee: IRC president David Miliband said a ceasefire was “beyond urgent.” He told CNN, “There needs to be a massive scale-up of the aid flows – that’s medicines, that’s non-food items, that is food, that is water, the basics of life and the fuel to get those goods around the Gaza Strip.” He said conditions need to be safer for aid workers to do their work and for civilians to receive aid and medical care.
