Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a multiphase ceasefire that commits them to end the war in Gaza, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch said at Sen. Marco Rubio's confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of state.
"I've just been advised that there's been a cease fire announced in Gaza. Before we all celebrate, though, obviously we're all going to want to see how well that executes," Risch said.
In the first phase, lasting six weeks, Hamas promises to release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for a far greater number of Palestinian detainees. It's not clear how many are involved, since the group wants more detainees per each hostage freed alive, but has not said how many are still living. Israel believes most are. The total number of Palestinians released from Israeli custody is expected to be around 1,000, according to a Palestinian official who was not authorized to speak to the media.
The deal comes after weeks of a number of intensive rounds of indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha between Israel and Hamas, mediated by facilitators from U.S., Egypt and Qatar. Envoys from both President Biden's administration and President-elect Trump's team were also there, pressuring the sides to close a deal.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages into Gaza. Around 100 hostages were released in a similar deal between Israel and Hamas in late 2023, while others were rescued or found dead.
Around 240 Palestinians were released from Israeli jails as part of that deal. The war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, who said the majority were women and children. The Israeli military says 405 soldiers have been killed in fighting since it invaded Gaza.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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