Ceasefire talks progress as Trump inauguration looms

Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas had reached an outline of a ceasefire agreement, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. According to the proposed agreement, Hamas would immediately release 33 living hostages while Israel would shut down some of its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Hamas would then continue to release other remaining hostages in phases while Israel would gradually cease its Gaza military operations in corresponding phases.

Has the United States been involved? The tentative agreement comes a week before President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to take office. Trump has promised that Hamas would be punished if all the remaining hostages in Gaza are not released by the time he gets into office. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden about negotiators’ efforts to obtain the release of the 98 hostages still in Gaza. Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for their support for Israel retrieving its citizens from captivity in Gaza.

Dig deeper: Read Travis K. Kircher’s recent in-depth interview with the brother of an Israeli held hostage by Hamas.