Israel, Hamas reach Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a ceasefire and a hostage deal on Wednesday, the Qatari mediators announced.

The ceasefire will take effect on Sunday. The agreement is aimed at ending 15 months of conflict in the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, which inflamed broader West Asia.

Israel’s military offensive against Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched an incursion into southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, killing more than 47,500 persons, including over 17,400 children.

Some of the hostages were released in November 2023 as part of a brief ceasefire deal and others were killed as a result of the war.

Several unsuccessful rounds of talks for a ceasefire were held since late 2023. Fresh negotiations took place in the Qatari capital Doha to the deal before Donald Trump takes office as the United States president on January 20. The talks are being mediated by neighbouring Egypt, Qatar and the United States’ Joe Biden administration.

Biden said on Wednesday that the ceasefire will have three phases. The first phase will last six weeks. In this phase, there will be a “full and complete ceasefire” with the Israeli military withdrawing from all populated areas of Gaza.

The US president announced…

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