After 14 months of war sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis, the Gaza-based terrorist group and Israel have apparently reached an agreement to free remaining hostages held by Hamas and end the war.
The news has been confirmed by several unnamed Israeli, Palestinian, and U.S. officials, and is being welcomed worldwide. U.S. President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump, and the Qatari prime minister have all confirmed the deal.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says the deal is not yet finalized, and Hamas has only given verbal approval, not written. The agreement has not been officially announced.
Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for a hostage and ceasefire agreement during the entire span of the war, with multiple rounds of expected breakthroughs culminating in several devastating collapses of talks.
Hamas has rejected numerous hostage and ceasefire deals, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accused by Israeli hostage families, heads of the Israel Defense Forces, and security agencies alike of sabotaging hostage negotiations to protect his extremist right-wing government.
Many Israelis, including neighbors, friends, and families of the hostages, have been living in a “soul-crushing…constant state of limbo and struggles” over the debilitating news cycle of negotiation failures, one Oct. 7 survivor told TC Jewfolk in August.
Today’s announcement of a deal brings a cautious and tenuous hope. But the widespread confirmation by officials in Israel and around the world – even if some are unnamed – may have created public excitement and pressure to complete the deal, and make it harder to renege on.
In a post on the social media site X, the account representing families of 98 Israeli hostages said they “welcome with overwhelming joy and relief the agreement to bring our loved ones home…this is a significant step forward that brings us closer to seeing all hostages return.”
The statement continued: “However, deep anxiety and concerns accompany us regarding the possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind.”
The Minneapolis and St. Paul Jewish Federations, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, welcomed news of the deal.
“While our hearts are full of joy with the prospect that many of the hostages who have been held in the cruelest imaginable captivity, including torture, sexual violence, and starvation, will soon be released, we are also fully aware of the terrible, disproportionate price that Israel is paying to bring them home,” a joint statement said.
“According to media reports, Israel is prepared to release thousands of Palestinian security prisoners, including hundreds of convicted terrorists with blood on their hands,” the statement continued.
“Israel has also agreed to pull back from territory that will make it easier for Hamas to reorganize itself to attack Israel again, as its leaders have vowed to do. Even with the precautions embedded within this deal, we know this agreement comes with considerable risk for Israel’s short and long-term security.”
The hostage release and ceasefire deal has three stages. The first stage would see Hamas release 33 women, children, and men over the age of 50. Israel says most of the 33 are alive, but has not said which hostages it expects to be dead.
During stage two, Hamas would release the remaining hostages along with a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli Defence Forces from Gaza.
Stage three would finalize Gaza’s reconstruction and future after the war.
The latter two stages still need to be negotiated and finalized, and the deal could collapse.
In an official statement, President Joe Biden said of the deal: “I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council.
“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,” he said. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
In a live streamed address about the deal, Biden added: “As I prepare to leave office, our friends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there’s a genuine opportunity for a new future in Lebanon…in Syria, a future free from the tyranny of Assad. And for the Palestinian people, a credible, credible pathway to a state of their own. For the region, future normalization, integration, of Israel and all its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.”
In a post on Truth Social, the right-wing social media site, President-elect Donald Trump took credit for the deal.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” he said.
“With this deal in place, my National Security team…will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
