Representatives of Israel, the Palestinian Hamas movement, the United States, and Qatar officially signed an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on the evening of January 16 in Doha, Axios reports, citing sources.
According to these sources, the deal was facilitated by Special Envoy of US President-elect Donald Trump to the Middle East Steven Witkoff, White House National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, and mediators from Qatar and Egypt. Brett McGurk signed the agreement on behalf of the United States.
Pending Approval in Israel
Sources revealed that Israel’s cabinet and government will hold a meeting to approve the deal with Hamas only on the evening of January 18, which means the agreement is expected to take effect around January 20.
Axios noted that the signing of the document was delayed due to disagreements over the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the deal. Hamas reportedly demanded the inclusion of military leaders serving life sentences for orchestrating terrorist attacks as part of the exchange.
Final Agreement
Al Arabiya reported, citing sources, that Hamas and Israel have signed a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which includes an exchange of hostages held in the enclave for Palestinian prisoners. Sources indicated that final amendments were made to the document.
The channel did not specify whether Qatar, Egypt, and the US, who are acting as mediators and guarantors for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, are also signatories to the deal.
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Based on materials from TASS