Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire in Gaza, though the start date is unclear, according to a senior official from one of the mediating countries and two senior Israeli officials.
The deal needs to be formally ratified by the Israeli cabinet, the officials said and there are also technical details that still need to be worked out. Two other officials said there was last-minute wrangling over the Egypt-Gaza border, which Israeli forces currently control.
Two White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a cease-fire deal has been reached. Basem Naim, a Hamas official, also confirmed the agreement, although the Palestinian militant group has yet to release a formal statement.
President-elect Donald J. Trump also announced that a hostage deal had been reached, writing on social media that “THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY.” Mr. Trump had threatened severe consequences unless Israel and Hamas reached an agreement before his Jan. 20 inauguration, which some officials credited with helping to advance the negotiations.
If implemented, the cease-fire would allow for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, after more than a year of devastating war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed much of the enclave.
Neither Israel nor Hamas had publicly endorsed the agreement, but the Palestinian group said on Tuesday that the negotiations had entered their “final stages,” and Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said on Wednesday evening that he was returning early from a trip abroad to join cabinet discussions about the hostages. Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday evening that it had responded to the proposed deal, without clarifying further.
In order to implement the deal, Hamas’s negotiating team at the talks in Doha, Qatar, must obtain the consent of the group’s commanders in Gaza, including Muhammad Sinwar, whose brother Yahya led the group before being killed by Israel in October.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.
Here’s what else to know:
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Negotiations: The latest round of talks is being held in Qatar, a key mediator alongside Egypt and the United States. Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday that the two sides had overcome major disagreements
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Right-wing opposition: In Israel, some hard-line members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have also voiced opposition to the deal. But on Wednesday, Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said he believed that a majority would sign off on an agreement if it came to a cabinet vote.
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Hostage talks: The deal on the table comes after months of shuttle diplomacy have failed to end the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. Around 105 captives were later released in a weeklong cease-fire in November 2023 in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Abu Bakr Bashir and Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting.
