QATARI and Hamas officials say a ceasefire has been reached to pause Israel’s war in Gaza and release dozens of hostages.
The deal follows weeks of negotiations in the Qatari capital and promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
It will also allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes and allow the devastated territory access to badly needed humanitarian aid.
According to reports the proposed deal, expected to take effect on Sunday, January 19, would involve a six-week initial ceasefire phase which would see the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the return of Palestinians to north Gaza.
Hostages held by Hamas will then be released and Palestinian detainees held by Israel will also released, the Reuters news agency reported, citing an official briefed on the agreement.
There were reports of Palestinians celebrating Khan Younis in Gaza as news of the possible ceasefire deal broke.
According to Al Jazeera Gaza authorities have issued directives for Palestinians amid the ceasefire news.
Palestinians have been warned to stay away from devastated areas and any unexploded bombs and have also been told to avoid large gatherings.
Meanwhile, president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump are both claiming credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to the deal in Gaza, after the White House brought Trump’s Middle East envoy into negotiations that have dragged on for months.
Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the moving force behind the deal, whose final details were still being ironed out, according to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
“This epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November, as it signalled to the entire World that my administration would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our allies,” Mr Trump wrote on social media.
“I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Trump added that his incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, would continue “to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza never again becomes a terrorist safe haven”.
Biden stressed in a statement that a deal was reached under “the precise contours” of a plan that he set out in late in May.
“It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Biden said.
“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
Later in remarks at the White House, Biden said his administration negotiated the deal but that Mr Trump’s team will soon be charged with making sure it is implemented, a nod to Witkoff being a partner in the talks.
“For the past few days, we have been speaking as one team,” Biden said.
