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Officials from key mediators in a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel say that a landmark agreement has been reached to pause the 15-month war in the Gaza Strip.
A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that will see some hostages freed and a pause in hostilities has been reached, three US officials, Hamas and Qatari mediators confirmed on Wednesday. One US officials said it was expected the deal would be implemented in the coming days. So far, neither Hamas nor Israel have officially commented on the potential deal which was expected to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet and go into effect in the coming days. Netanyahu has faced some opposition from hardliners in his government, with his National Security Minister Itamir Ben-Gvir threatening to resign in protest to the proposed deal. If agreed, a truce would bring at least a temporary pause to a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip that has killed thousands, sparked a parallel conflict in Lebanon and destabilised the Middle East. On Tuesday, US officials signalled the deal was premised on three phases which included an initial six-week pause in fighting and the release of nearly 33 Israeli hostages that were taken into Gaza by Hamas militants on 7 October. At least some Palestinians are expected to be allowed to return to their homes and around 1,000 Palestinians prisoners held in Israel would be released. Israel and Hamas are expected to work out an agreement for a lasting peace during the ceasefire’s phases. Earlier on Wednesday, an Israeli official said that ceasefire talks hit a last minute snag, which CBS news reports was over the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Israel announced late Wednesday that Hamas had attempted to change an already agreed understanding for security arrangements along the border however, a Qatari official claimed the dispute was eventually resolved. Negotiations have long been fragile and Qatar, US and Egyptian officials have said multiple times they were close to a deal to no avail. The deal is largely based on one proposed by US President Joe Biden in May, however, experts have suggested that upcoming president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration may have applied pressure to officials to come to a truce. Trump was quick to take credit for a potential ceasefire deal, posting on Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY.”
