Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire that includes an end to fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages. This brings hope for an end to the devastating conflict that has rocked the Middle East and the world.
At the same time, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that as of Wednesday evening, some details of the agreement still needed final approval, writes the Financial Times.
The multi-phase agreement, which will take effect on Sunday, a day before Donald Trump returns to the US presidency, was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassem Al Thani, although he noted that the parties still have to give final approval to it.
Donald Trump called the agreement an achievement and added that his national security team will continue to work closely with Israel and allies to ensure that Gaza never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists..
US President Joe Biden called the negotiations one of the most difficult he has ever held.
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However, shortly after Trump's announcement, Netanyahu's office said that several points were still open in the document..
“And we hope that the details will be finally agreed upon this evening,” Israel emphasized.
Netanyahu's office added that Hamas at the last minute withdrew its demand for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza's border with Egypt..
A source close to the Doha talks said the agreement was reached after the Qatari prime minister met separately with representatives of Hamas and Israel..
At the same time, according to the source, although Hamas agreed to the agreement, conceding one of its demands, Israel then “raised a new unresolved issue,” which mediators are now working to resolve.
Negotiations intensified in mid-December following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.. A Biden administration official said the key issue preventing the negotiations from ending is Hamas' refusal to admit how many hostages it is holding and which ones will be released in the first phase of the deal..
At the end of December, the Palestinian faction agreed on a list of 33 hostages, which accelerated the completion of negotiations.
Biden's top Middle East adviser, Bret McGurk, was joined in the final days of the talks by Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Negotiations continued into the early hours of Wednesday, with McGurk and Witkoff and Egyptian and Qatari officials sitting upstairs and Israeli negotiators and Hamas officials downstairs, hashing out dozens of final details..
Previous attempts to reach an agreement to end the 15-month conflict and release the 98 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza have repeatedly failed as both Israel and Palestinian militants refused to make concessions.
The Israeli government is due to vote on the agreement, which builds on a three-phase proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden last year. Far-right ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have expressed opposition to the agreements but may not be able to block the deal..
The first phase involves a 42-day truce, during which 33 Israeli hostages - children, all women, sick and elderly - will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, as well as a significant increase in humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza.
An Israeli official said the final details, which Netanyahu said had yet to be agreed upon, involved the names of Palestinian prisoners to be released..
Both sides will begin negotiations on the second stage no later than the 16th day of the truce. At this stage, it is planned to release the remaining hostages, including male soldiers, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.
The second stage should also lead to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
The final stage involves the return of all the bodies of the dead hostages and the reconstruction of Gaza under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the UN.