Israel and Hamas agree historic Gaza ceasefire deal after 15 months of war
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Israel and Hamas have agreed an historic ceasefire to end 15 months of war in Gaza, The Independent understands, a conflict in which almost 50,000 people have been killed and has threatened to draw the whole of the Middle East in. The truce and hostage deal was reached after the prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, meting with Hamas negotiators and then separately the Israelis. Qatar has been a key mediator in seeking to end the conflict. It is expected that a news conference in Doha later this evening will confirm the deal.
Triggered by a bloody attack by Hamas inside southern Israel on 7 October in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage, Israel's retaliatory bombardment of Gaza has left more than 46,000 Palestinians dead, the majority women and children according to Palestinian officials. More than 110,000 people have been injured, and thousands of others are feared buried in the rubble of the devastated enclave.
The conflict spread across the Middle East, with Iran-backed proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen attacking Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians. The deal comes after Israel killed the top leaders of Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah in assassinations, which boosted its negotiating position.
The deal comes after months of fraught negotiations that have often stumbled or come to a complete stop with both sides accusing the other of sabotaging talks. The only other respite during the war was a weeklong truce in November 2023 during which dozens of hostages were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
