Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages that lasted more than a year fighting in the Gaza StripUS officials told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Wednesday. Another source with knowledge of the talks told CBS News that the agreement was reached following a meeting between the Qatari prime minister and Hamas negotiators, separately from Israeli negotiators, in his office.
The agreement comes after a week of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar, the US and Egypt.
As news of the deal spread, crowds of people gathered in Deir al Bala in Gaza, to the sound of cheering gunfire.
There was a draft agreement they agreed on a goal earlier in the week, Arab, US and Israeli officials told CBS News.
Intense negotiations have been underway in Doha for the past few weeks, with President Biden’s top adviser on the Middle East, Brett McGurk, staying in the region for the better part of a month. McGurk has been in close contact with President-elect Trump’s decision to become special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Mr Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone on Sunday about the talks.
In Israel, the families of nearly 100 hostages who are still being held after a brutal attack by Hamas on October 7 2023, which saw the group and allied militants kill around 1,200 people, have been holding rallies demanding a negotiated settlement. the release of their loved ones. The IDF said it believed about a third of the hostages had already died.
More than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, and most Gazans have been displaced and live in camps. Humanitarian groups have been struggling to bring helpand experts have warned of famine.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.