Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage release agreement to halt more than a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip, U.S. officials told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Wednesday. Another source with knowledge of the negotiations told CBS News that a deal had been reached following the Qatari prime minister’s meeting with Hamas negotiators, and separately with Israeli negotiators, at his office.
The deal comes after a week of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt.
As news of the deal broke, crowds gathered in Deir al Bala in Gaza, and celebratory gunfire was heard.
A draft of the deal had been agreed to in principle earlier in the week, Arab, U.S. and Israeli officials told CBS News.
Intense negotiations had been underway in Doha for the past few weeks, with President Biden’s top Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, staying in the region for the better part of a month. McGurk has been closely coordinating with President-elect Trump’s pick for special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Mr. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Sunday about the negotiations.
In Israel, families of the approximately 100 hostages still being held after Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 2023 attack, which saw the group and allied militants kill about 1,200 people, have been holding regular rallies demanding a negotiated deal for the release of their loved ones. The IDF has said it believes around a third of the hostages have already died.
More than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and most of Gaza’s population is displaced and living in camps. Humanitarian groups have been struggling to deliver aid, and experts have warned of famine.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.