Biden confirms Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement

Update, 3 p.m.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday confirmed that Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas had reached a peaceable agreement. The deal would halt the violence in Gaza, flood humanitarian aid into the region, and allow hostages to return home to their families, Biden said. In televised remarks, Biden credited the deal to the work of numerous individuals and groups, including a team of American negotiators.

But how would this deal work? The agreement would require Israel to gradually wind down its military activities in Gaza while Hamas incrementally handed over the remaining 98 hostages in its possession to Israel. The agreement follows the form of one he proposed last summer, Biden said.

An aerial view of destroyed buildings in Gaza Associated Press / Photo by Leo Correa, file

Original story, 12:15 p.m.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement reached, per U.S. official

Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, on Wednesday interrupted a confirmation hearing for Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to tell the audience the ceasefire was announced. A WORLD reporter in the room heard Risch’s report. Risch serves as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday also said in a social media statement that a ceasefire agreement had been reached. In another statement, the president-elect claimed credit for the ceasefire.

The Times of Israel reported on Wednesday that Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas had reached a ceasefire agreement, but that Hamas had not yet submitted a formal written response. Official sources have not confirmed those reports. The hostage advocacy group Bring Them Home Now said on Wednesday that it welcomed reports that a ceasefire agreement was imminent.

What are the terms of the ceasefire? As of Wednesday afternoon, no terms had been officially released. Media outlets in recent days have reported that a ceasefire agreement in the works would require Hamas to release its remaining hostages in phases while Israel correspondingly wound down its military operations in Gaza.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from yesterday about how U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a ceasefire agreement was closer than it had ever been.