Hamas, Israel agree to Gaza ceasefire deal: Qatari PM

Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Israel have reached a ceasefire agreement in halting Israel's war on Gaza and exchange prisoners, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, mediator Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister has said.

He said on Wednesday that the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire will take effect on January 19.

The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises to halt Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, release Israeli hostages in phases, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.

The deal

Al Thani expressed hope that no military operations would be carried out during the period leading up to the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

"Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners in the first phase and Qatar, Egypt, US will work to ensure the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement" the Qatari prime minister said.

He added that the details of the second and third phases will follow after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement is completed.

Meanwhile, US President, Joe Biden also announced that a ceasefire had been reached, adding that the diplomatic efforts to broker an agreement 'never ceased.'

He said Israeli forces to withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza in phase one and full withdrawal to take place in phase two, adding negotiations will take place over the next six weeks to get the ceasefire deal to phase two, which includes a permanent end to war.

He also said that the 3rd phase of the Gaza ceasefire will see the exchange of remains of any hostages who have been killed, alongside the start of a 'major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

Palestinian prisoners

Israel currently holds more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners, while it is estimated that 98 Israelis are detained in Gaza.

Israel had temporarily halted its war on Gaza for 6 days in November 2023, leading to the release of 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

However, the ceasefire could not be extended as Israel continued with its war on the besieged territory and Netanyahu consistently persisted in his war rhetoric.

Even Israeli insiders have blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for scuttling efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire deal in Gaza as he pitched for withdrawing troops from the besieged enclave.

Many politicians and military leaders within Israel have pointed out that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to maintain his political position.

Israel has killed over 46,700 people in its ongoing genocidal onslaught in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.