Israel and Hamas reach deal on Gaza ceasefire, hostage release

After months of deadlock and more than 15 months of war, Israel and the militant group Hamas reached a fresh Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.

The deal includes a six-week initial ceasefire phase, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees held by Israel, Biden said.

"The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades, this is one of the toughest negotiations that I've ever experienced," Biden said from the White House. "I've reached this point because ... of the pressure that Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States."

Biden said that Americans would be part of the initial release. He did not say how many. Seven Americans are being held hostage by Hamas. Four have been confirmed dead. Three were believed to be alive: Edan Alexander, 21, Keith Siegel, 64, and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36.

A senior administration official told reporters Wednesday afternoon that Siegel and Dekel-Chen would be released in the first phase of the deal, which applies to women, elderly males and the sick and wounded. Alexander will not be released in the first wave because he is an Israeli soldier.

Long-awaited ceasefire begins Sunday

The agreement, which is expected to unfold in three phases beginning Sunday, was mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt. The truce is intended to halt fighting that has devastated Gaza and destabilized the Middle East. It comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as 47th president of the United States.

The deal also comes after several waves of negotiations stalled and failed to reach a sequel to an agreement reached in November 2023 during which 105 hostages were released in a weeklong truce. As part of that agreement, 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel were freed before fighting resumed.

The first phase of the deal was expected to see 33 civilians and 5 female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza released in the first 42 days. In return, Israel will free as many as 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and its troops will withdraw from city centers in Gaza, a key coastal road and a strategic strip of land along the border with Egypt.

Biden said the exact details would be forthcoming. A senior administration official told reporters negotiators would meet on Thursday in Cairo to discuss implementation of the complex agreement. A list of hostages and prisoners who will be released in the first phase of the deal has not been made public, but the official said the U.S. knows exactly who will be freed when the agreement kicks in.

Negotiations to reach the second phase, when the remaining hostages would be released, would likely begin on the 16th day of the implementation of the deal.

In the second phase, more Israeli troops would also pull out of the Palestinian territory and the temporary ceasefire would become permanent. Biden said the second phase, if it's reached, would mark a permanent end to the war. Phase three would involve the transfer of the remains of deceased hostages to their families and the reconstruction of Gaza.

If initial negotiations take more than six weeks, they will continue, Biden said, for as long as a resolution to the conflict takes.

"There was no other way for this war to end than with a hostage deal. And I'm deeply satisfied this day has finally come for the sake of the people of Israel and the families waiting in agony and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza, who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war," Biden said.

Hamas kidnapped 251 people and killed more than 1,200 on Oct. 7, 2023, when it attacked communities in southern Israel, triggering a massive military response from Israel. Israel's government believes 94 hostages are still in Gaza, 60 of whom are assumed to be alive. Four of the hostages were taken in earlier incidents.

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Trump says ceasefire only possible because of his election win

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military operation, according to figures from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been displaced.

The war in Gaza has upended the entire Middle East region, mushrooming into Israeli conflicts with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen and Iran itself. The war also appeared to create conditions that led to the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Trapped in Gaza for a year: Here's her harrowing story

Trump and Biden have been vying to claim credit for the agreement before Monday, when Trump takes office. Trump said last month that he wanted a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to be reached before he takes office. Otherwise, he said, there would be "all hell to pay."

Trump was quick to comment on the agreement Wednesday, claiming his election victory was responsible for the deal. "This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November," Trump said in a social media post.

Biden said his administration was responsible for the terms of the agreement but he told his team to coordinate closely with Trump's advisers to make sure the U.S. was speaking with one voice.

"I'd also note this deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration. These past few days, we've been speaking as one team," Biden said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said "everybody's going to want some credit" but added "the president got it done."

"This is something that's been in the works for months ? for months, way before November," Jean-Pierre said at a briefing with reporters. "We're going back and forth about credit, but people are going to get to go home to their families, and that is so important."

A senior administration official told reporters later in the day that the deal was the result of months of diplomacy from the U.S. and its partners in the region and said that in recent days Biden had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice.

While the Biden administration said the catalyst for the deal was the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and an isolation of Hamas that caused the militant group to agree to release hostages, the official said Trump adviser Steve Witkoff partnered closely with Biden's team and played a significant and helpful role in the diplomacy.

"Hell has been paid to Hamas, tremendously," the person said.

This article was updated to include video.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel and Hamas agree on Gaza ceasefire, hostage release deal