Israel and Hamas have struck a cease-fire deal that’ll free hostages
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire-hostage deal.
After more than 15 months of fighting and tens of thousands dead, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire, a US lawmaker announced on Wednesday.
The deal, a major breakthrough in the Middle East, is meant to halt the bloodshed and facilitate the release of some of the remaining hostages.
“I have just been informed by the administration that a deal has been agreed to,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer told lawmakers at the Capitol. “It is welcome news that there is an agreement that will free many of the hostages.”
Other reports have also said a deal has been reached, citing Hamas, American officials, and sources inside the Israeli government.
On October 7, 2023, as part of a Hamas-led terror attack against Israel, Hamas and other militants kidnapped 251 people from Israel. Around 1,200 were killed across the country.
Hamas and its allies still hold 98 hostages, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Tuesday, though at least 34 of them are thought to have died in captivity.
The deal, which is yet to be formally announced, is slated to include multiple phases.
The first stage of the agreement is expected to include 33 hostages — most of whom are alive — released on “humanitarian” grounds, the spokesperson told reporters at a briefing. This will consist of women, children, the elderly, and hostages who are sick.
When asked how many jailed Palestinians Israel is willing to release in exchange, the spokesperson said that the country “is prepared to pay a heavy price, in the hundreds.”
To date, 117 hostages have been returned alive to Israel, including 105 freed as part of a prisoner exchange in November 2023.
The cease-fire deal intends to put a halt to the ongoing conflict, which has seen large areas of Gaza destroyed. The Hamas-run health ministry says Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people.
Negotiations for a cease-fire deal have been ongoing for many months, but news that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching an agreement emerged earlier this week, hinting that, at last, there could be movement.
The deal comes in the final days of the Biden administration.
President-elect Donald Trump said his victory in November directly contributed to the deal coming to fruition. “We have achieved so much without even being in the White House,” he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
