Qatar’s prime minister on Wednesday announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, pausing the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clearing the way for dozens of Israeli hostages to go home.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced the agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha, the site of weeks of painstaking negotiations. He said the deal would go into effect on Sunday.
President Joe Biden cheered the announcement of the hostage deal, and credited “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy” for landing the agreement, while claiming a measure of credit in the breakthrough moment in the 15-month war.
“I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council,” Biden added in a statement. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
Biden’s comments came not long after President-elect Donald Trump in a social media post claimed his election victory is what brought about the deal.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Implementation of the agreement could begin Sunday, when the first group of hostages may be freed, according to a senior U.S. official involved in the talks.
Negotiations intensified over the last four days, according to the official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, had joined Biden’s Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, in Doha for talks in recent days. The official described McGurk and Witkoff’s coordination as a fruitful partnership.
The U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators along with Israel’s team nearby worked until the wee hours Thursday morning, just a floor above where the Hamas negotiators were holed up, the senior official said.
Later Thursday, Hamas made several last second demands, but “we held very firm” and Hamas eventually agreed to the terms of the deal, the U.S. official said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says ceasefire deal with Hamas has still not been reached and that the final details were still being sorted out. That comes after multiple mediators had said Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release dozens of hostages after more than 15 months of war.
