Gaza ceasefire and hostage exchange deal near-finalised

3-phase pact between Israel and Hamas to end 14-months of war

IH News Desk

GLOBAL, January 14, 2025: Talks for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas are near-finalised with Qatar presenting both parties with a "final" draft of the agreement. Israel considers it broadly acceptable and senior Israeli officials are waiting for Hamas's response. 

International media, including that of Gulf countries, Tuesday reported that Hamas accepted the deal. The three-phase agreement, based on a framework laid out by US President Joe Biden who ends the Presidency on January 20 and endorsed by the UN Security Council, would begin with the gradual release of 33 hostages over a six-week period. 

Israel believes most of the 33 are alive, but some are dead. Hamas has said the ongoing negotiations have reached their "final stage" with consultations with other Palestinian factions. Some hostages are being held by other terror groups in Gaza, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken announced that the agreement to end the war in Gaza is close.

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