By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, officials said on Wednesday, in the hope of ending the 15-month-war that has killed thousands.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was set to announce that Israel and Hamas agreed “to a three-stage deal” to release the 98 remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Several sources said 33 hostages are expected to be released in the first stage.
However, the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, cautioned that several details still have to be worked out but added that they were expected to be finalized within hours.
As news of a ceasefire poured in, supporters of Israeli hostages were seen embracing each other. In Gaza, a vehicle with Hamas military wing operatives was seen roaming the streets of Khan Yunis to celebrate the ceasefire, underscoring the challenges ahead for Israel.
If finalized, the cease-fire would take effect immediately, according to a White House official.
AID EXPECTED
The United Nations and other aid groups said they hope to use the ceasefire to bring in massive humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rushed to claim credit for the truce between Israel and Hamas, calling the deal “epic” on his Truth Social media platform. He had threatened Hamas that “all hell will break out” if hostages were not released before his inauguration on January 20.
Trump said Wednesday that the accord could have only happened due to his “historic” election victory “as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our Allies.”
He vowed that his national security team and his pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will continue to “work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
He added, “We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords,” referring to the bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain.
“This is only the beginning of great things to come for America and, indeed, the World!” he added.
MORE ‘VICTORIES’
“We have achieved so much without even being in the White House. Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House and my Administration is fully confirmed so they can secure more Victories for the United States!”
Yet tensions remained high, with Israel reportedly carrying out an air strike on what Palestinian officials said was “the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank,” killing at least four people and injuring two others.
The Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry said four bodies were brought to a hospital in Jenin following the airstrike.
On Tuesday, an Israel Defense Forces drone strike in Jenin killed six Palestinians, including a 15-year-old child, according to Hamas-controlled authorities.
Israel says its airstrikes are aimed at Hamas fighters but that civilian casualties are unavoidable as Hamas uses civilians as “human shields.”
Hamas-controlled authorities say more than 46,000 Palestinians were killed since war broke out in Gaza following the massacre by Hamas of some 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Russia has sent a sanctioned cargo ship to resupply its air base in Syria, signaling that Moscow intends to preserve one of its most important military footholds in the Middle East despite the fall of longtime ally Bashar al-Assad, according to U.S. officials and satellite images reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Israel moved another step closer to early elections after the coalition’s bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its first reading late Monday night by a vote of 106-0, with no lawmakers voting against the measure.
President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks after a day of rising tensions in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened renewed strikes on Hezbollah’s Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut if the Iranian-backed terror group continued firing on northern Israel.
A divided federal appeals court ruled Monday that the Trump administration’s policy restricting transgender military service is likely unconstitutional, delivering a legal setback to the Pentagon while leaving parts of the policy in place.
Authorities in Vietnam’s Gia Lai Province have detained two Montagnard Christians on accusations of “undermining national unity” in the latest case involving ethnic minority believers in the communist-run nation, Christians told Worthy News on Monday.
Hungary has plunged into an unprecedented constitutional and political crisis after President Tamás Sulyok refused to resign following the expiration of an ultimatum issued by Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
The U.S. Department of Justice is temporarily backing down from its plan to launch a $1.77 billion “anti-weaponization fund” after a federal judge issued a short-term restraining order.