Watch live: Israeli hostage families react as Hamas accepts ceasefire deal to end war
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Watch live as Israeli hostage families react following reports Hamas has accepted a ceasefire deal to end the war on Wednesday (15 January). The deal was reached after the Qatari prime minister met Hamas and Israeli negotiators in his office, a source close to the negotiations has told The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
It came after a Hamas source said the group’s leader, Khalil Al Hayya, had delivered approval for the ceasefire agreement to mediators in Qatar. Qatar is set to give an update this evening after days of intense negotiations. The Gulf state’s foreign ministry will hold a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, where a truce is being hammered out by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
Earlier, US president Joe Biden and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al Sisi emphasised “the urgent need for a deal to be implemented” and said they would be in contact over the “coming hours”. On Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied reports Hamas has agreed to the last-minute ceasefire deal nearly 15 months into the war.
