Israel and Hamas agree on a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage deal

Israel and Hamas have agreed a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement to end over a year of conflict in the Gaza Strip, President Biden and Qatar's prime minister said separately on Wednesday. The agreement came after a week of rigorous discussions mediated by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt.

The Israeli government and Hamas have reached an agreement that will temporarily halt combat in Gaza and allow hostages and Palestinian detainees to be released in phases.

The pact, which has yet to be publicly publicized, calls for Hamas and its affiliated militant organizations to free 33 hostages taken from Israel during the October 7, 2023 assault.

In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian inmates.

The accord would be Gaza's first reprieve from conflict in almost a year, and only the second since the Israeli bombing began.

Once approved, the agreement is anticipated to allow Palestinian civilians to return to northern Gaza and a large flood of humanitarian supplies into the strip, whose people have long endured catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

"Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal," Mr. Biden said in a written statement. "This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity."

Speaking from the White House Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Biden said, "There was no other way for this war to end than with a hostage deal, and I'm deeply satisfied this day has finally come, for the sake of the people of Israel, and for the families waiting in agony, and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war."

During the hostage and prisoner exchange, there would be a total cease-fire in Gaza to allow supplies to arrive. International relief organizations and the United Nations would restart operations in Gaza and begin rebuilding the enclave's infrastructure, including water, power, and sewage systems.

The second part of the agreement would include the release of all remaining male Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of IDF soldiers from Gaza.

The third phase would entail the exchange of hostage and prisoner corpses, the start of Gaza's rehabilitation, and the opening of its border.