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A peace deal between Israel and Hamas after more than a year of all-out war is “on the brink … of finally coming to fruition”, US president Joe Biden has said.
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing US president and president-elect Donald Trump.
An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of the first batch of hostages of the total 98 still held in Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.
The first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick, the official added.
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas’s court but “it’s very close, and we are very hopeful that we get it over the finish line finally after all this time”.
The US, Qatar and Egypt have worked for more than a year on talks to end the war in Gaza, so far fruitlessly.
Mediators brokering a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are “close to a deal”, a top US aide has said after a midnight breakthrough in talks attended by envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The outgoing US president’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said they were now at a “pivotal moment” in negotiations that he hoped could be concluded within the week.
Families of the remaining 95 or so hostages waited anxiously for news of a deal they have spent more than a year campaigning for.
Bel Trew and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 06:00
Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, demand a deal as they protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, in Tel Aviv (REUTERS)
Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, demand a deal as they protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, in Tel Aviv (REUTERS)
Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, demand a deal as they protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, in Tel Aviv (REUTERS)
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 05:30
US president-elect Donald Trump said he believed a hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas in Gaza and Israel could be completed by the end of the week.
“We are very close to getting it done, and they have to get it done. If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble like they have never seen before, and they will get it done,” Mr Trump said in a Newsmax interview.
“And I understand it’s, it’s been – there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished,” he added. “But it has to take place.”
Mr Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is in the region and has met with Israeli and Qatari officials in recent days.
The president-elect last week warned that “all hell” would be unleashed on Hamas if a deal is not reached before his inauguration on 20 January.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 05:15
A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted central Israel early this morning, causing sirens to blare and people to flee into bomb shelters.
Several Israeli strikes also hit the Gaza Strip overnight and this morning, as Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said it made several attempts to intercept a missile launched from Yemen and “the missile was likely intercepted”.
The Magen David Adom emergency service in Israel said there were no injuries from the missile or falling debris, but some people suffered injuries when running to shelters.
Israel’s military also said an earlier missile was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 05:00
Lebanon’s new president has asked prominent diplomat and jurist Nawaf Salam to form the country’s new government after he was named prime minister by a large number of legislators yesterday in a move that has apparently angered Hezbollah.
Mr Salam is currently serving as the head of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and his nomination was made by Western-backed groups as well as independents in the Lebanese parliament.
He has the support of Saudi Arabia and Western countries as well. Hezbollah legislators abstained from naming any candidate for the prime minister’s post.
Mr Salam’s nomination is seen by many as a glimpse of hope after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that left 4,000 people dead and more than 16,000 wounded and caused destruction totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The war stopped in late November when a US-brokered 60-day truce went into effect.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 04:30
Hamas said on Monday that talks over some core issues for a ceasefire deal in Gaza have made progress, an official in the Palestinian group told Reuters.
“The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” added the official who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 04:00
An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with the Hamas militants in Gaza. Ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
The first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick, the official told Reuters.
On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and men of military age – would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar told reporters: “There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”
Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
In its retaliatory offensive, Israel has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 03:24
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas’ court after president Joe Biden claimed a ceasefire between Israel and the militants in Gaza to release the hostages was on “the brink” of coming to fruition.
“The ball is in Hamas’s court, but it’s very close, and we are very hopeful that we get it over the finish line finally after all this time,” Mr Blinken told MSNBC. Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal, according to Reuters. “The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official said.
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing US president and president-elect Donald Trump.
Mr Biden in his speech on Monday said the deal would “free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinians”.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar14 January 2025 02:58