BREAKING: Israel and Hamas Agree To Cease-Fire, Hostage Release

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/15/israel-war-gaza-ceasefire-hostages-news-hamas/

A hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel has been reached Wednesday following more than 15 months of extraordinary bloodshed and violence in Gaza, said a senior U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic discussions. Details of the agreement are to be announced shortly in Doha, the Qatari capital, where intense negotiations have taken place between Israel and Hamas over the past several weeks. The agreement follows an intense period of meetings and calls over the last several days, including by President Joe Biden to the leaders of Israel and mediating partners Qatar and Egypt. Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, has also played an instrumental role, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend to express Trump’s interest in attaining a deal before his inauguration on Monday.