Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced that negotiators had reached a deal on Wednesday (January 15) for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.
At a news conference in Doha, Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect on Sunday (January 19) and negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on steps for implementing the deal.
Mediators announce Gaza truce, but Israel says some points 'unresolved'
Al Thani said the deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
The ceasefire deal comes after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed tensions across the Middle East.
The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States, and came just ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
What we know of initial Gaza truce deal
Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting more than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the coastal enclave a wasteland of rubble with hundreds of thousands surviving the winter cold in tents and makeshift shelters.
(Production: Imad Creidi, Reim Nahaboo)