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By Tom O'Connor
Deputy Editor, National Security and Foreign Policy
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A source within the Palestinian Hamas movement has told Newsweek that a long-awaited ceasefire deal has been reached with Israel amid the longest and deadliest-ever war in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas source said the group would address the agreement in an upcoming announcement, which was issued publicly later Wednesday.
Shortly after the Hamas source delivered the message to Newsweek, President-elect Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday to state that "WE HAVE A DEAL," taking credit for the agreement and proclaiming that hostages held by Hamas "WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY."
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Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani later confirmed that a deal had been reached during a press conference in Doha, where negotiations were being held.
Simultaneously, President Joe Biden also announced the two parties had reached a deal during a farewell address at the White House.
Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the Israeli Consulate General in New York and the White House for comment.
The Israeli government has yet to publicly announce that an agreement had been reached, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the latest developments in calls with Biden and Trump on Wednesday.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said earlier Wednesday that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar cut short his trip to Europe "following the progress in the hostage release negotiations" and "will return to Israel tonight to participate in the expected discussions and votes in the Security Cabinet and government," according to a statement published by a number of media outlets.
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Why This Matters
Biden has been fervently pushing for a breakthrough on the three-phase proposal he first outlined in May, hoping to achieve a resolution before he departs office on Monday. The effort garnered greater momentum in the final weeks of his administration as Trump increasingly called for a deal to be reached before his inauguration, or else "all hell will break out in the Middle East."
Biden referred to the talks as "one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced" throughout his five decades in public service during his remarks on Wednesday.
Both he and Trump indicated in recent days that Israel and Hamas were getting close to finalizing the agreement as they entered into a rare cooperation to press forward for a resolution.
Last week, Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to the Qatari capital of Doha to join the Biden administration's team in negotiations. Witkoff attended the press conference on Wednesday in which Sheikh Mohammed affirmed the parties had reached a deal.
"What we have seen from the U.S. in the past few days, seeing a collaboration transcending both administrations, was a clear demonstration for the commitment of the U.S. to reach to that deal," Sheikh Mohammed said Wednesday.
What To Know
The war began with a Hamas-led surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. Iran and factions of its Axis of Resistance coalition joined the fight as well, launching attacks on Israel from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Israeli officials have estimated that around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the initial attack by Hamas and allied Palestinian factions in Gaza. Dozens more have been killed as a result of rocket, missile and drone attacks conducted by Hamas and Iran-aligned groups, particularly the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which signed a 60-day ceasefire with Israel on November 27 of last year.
Of the 251 hostages seized by Hamas in the opening stages of the conflict, 98 are believed to remain in the group's captivity.
The Palestinian Health Ministry based in Gaza has recorded more than 46,600 deaths throughout the war, the majority of them said to be among women, children and elderly people, though the documents did not distinguish between combatants and noncombatants.
The Lebanese Health Ministry has counted more than 4,000 killed, also without distinguishing between civilians and fighters, since Israel began conducting strikes and later launched a ground incursion into Lebanon. Hundreds of Syrians are also reported to have been killed in Israeli operations throughout the broader conflict.
The U.S.-proposed Gaza ceasefire deal, as presented, would result in a six-week ceasefire along, a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the war-torn Palestinian territory in the first phase.
The second phase would entail a lasting ceasefire, the release of all living hostages and additional Palestinian prisoners and a total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The third phase would involve the return of the bodies of deceased hostages in Hamas captivity and the beginning of a reconstruction plan for Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have offered conflicting interpretations of each phase of the proposal, however. Some points of contention include Israel accusing Hamas of withholding details regarding the conditions of the 33 hostages it would release in the first phase and Hamas calling on Israel to issue a guarantee that the first phase would lead to follow-up talks to achieve an enduring peace.
Netanyahu has also vowed to maintain an Israeli military presence on the Egypt-Gaza border crossing known as the Philadelphi Corridor despite the Biden administration's insistence of a total withdrawal in line with the U.S. proposal.
In a statement published to X on Wednesday amid news of a ceasefire deal being reached, Israeli Prime Minister's Office spokesperson Omer Dostri said that "the reports of a 'withdrawal from the Philadelphi axis' are a complete lie" and "Prime Minister Netanyahu did not give up a millimeter of Israeli control over the Philadelphi axis."
The Israeli premier has repeatedly promised to continue the war until Hamas was defeated as a military and political entity, Gaza was rendered incapable of posing a threat to Israel in the future and all hostages were returned.
The current agreement as it has been presented does not directly address the future governance of Gaza or the fate of Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007. Hamas has hailed the ceasefire as a victory for its cause, a sentiment echoed by a number of other Palestinian groups as well as members of Iran-backed Axis of Resistance groups such as Islamic Resistance in Iraq militias and Yemen's Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement.
At the same time, much of Hamas and Hezbollah's senior leadership has been slain throughout the conflict, with the Lebanese group now facing a more difficult political situation at home with the recent elections of a president and prime minister backed by rival factions. The fall of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last month at the hands of an Islamist-led rebel offensive has also upended the regional equation, putting an end to Iran's longest partnership in the Arab world.
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What People Are Saying
Hamas in a statement shared with Newsweek on Wednesday: "The ceasefire agreement is the result of the legendary resilience of our great Palestinian people and our valiant resistance in the Gaza Strip over more than 15 months.
"The agreement to stop the aggression on Gaza is an achievement for our people, our resistance, the Ummah [Islamic nation], and the free world. The agreement is a milestone in the conflict with the enemy, on the path to achieving our people's goals of liberation and return.
"This agreement is driven by our responsibility towards our steadfast people in the Gaza Strip to stop the Zionist aggression against them and halt the bloodbath, massacres, and genocidal war to which they are being subjected."
President-elect Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday: "This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.
With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven. We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!"
President Joe Biden in response to a reporter's question on Wednesday: "This the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May, exact, and we got the world to endorse it.
"Secondly, it's American support for Israel that helped them badly weaken Hamas and its backers and create the conditions for this deal.
"And thirdly, I knew this deal would have to be implemented by the next team. So, I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we're all speaking with the same voice, because that's what American presidents do."
What Happens Next
Any ceasefire agreement would need to be brought by Netanyahu for a vote in his security cabinet, followed by another vote in parliament and a 48-hour window during which the Israeli Supreme Court would hear any appeals to oppose the deal. If approved, the implementation could begin by Sunday.
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