American and Qatari negotiators announced today that Israel and Hamas had agreed on a ceasefire/hostage deal that will stop the fighting in Gaza, release Israeli hostages being held by Hamas and other armed groups, and free Palestinians being held in Israeli jails. The agreement was first announced by President-elect Donald Trump in a statement on his Truth Social account. “We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East,” he wrote in all capitals. “They will be released shortly.”
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced the deal at a press conference in Doha less than two hours later. Al Thani specified that the ceasefire takes effect on Jan. 19.
The next step is for the Israeli government to approve the deal. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting a visit to Europe short and flying home overnight to take part in security cabinet and government votes on the deal—meaning the votes would likely be by or on Thursday, reported Reuters.
