JERUSALEM — In a major diplomatic breakthrough, Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to halt the devastating 15-month conflict in Gaza and exchange captives, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.
The landmark deal, announced Wednesday, comes after intensive mediation efforts by Egypt and Qatar, with crucial U.S. backing. The agreement emerges days before President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration, following his repeated warnings about securing the hostages’ release.
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants breached Israeli security barriers, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 46,000 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, while reducing much of the coastal territory to rubble.
The humanitarian crisis has left hundreds of thousands of Gazans enduring winter in temporary shelters and tents. The conflict’s ripple effects have destabilized the broader Middle East, triggering attacks on Israel from armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, worked alongside the Biden administration to finalize the agreement. The deal may help ease domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has faced intense criticism over the October security breach and the prolonged negotiations for the hostages’ release.
The agreement represents the most significant diplomatic progress since the war’s outbreak, potentially marking a turning point in one of the region’s deadliest conflicts in recent history.
