Israel and Hamas reach Gaza ceasefire deal as Qatar to hold briefing: Live updates

Great relief, then, at the Gaza ceasefire, such as it is – but also great sadness.

There is no real reason why this deal, or something very like it, couldn’t have been concluded when president Joe Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken first put it on the table last May. The “sticking points” that were obvious then haven’t materially differed in the many months since.

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has the UK must work to ensure this does not turn out to be a “temporary truce”.

“The announcement of a ceasefire is, at last, a moment of hope after many months of darkness and despair for the region,” Mr Davey said/

“As this ceasefire comes into effect, Palestinians will hope that the killing will now stop. Israeli hostages will finally be returned to their loved ones again after being held in captivity for fifteen months. The work of flooding Gaza with the aid which it has desperately needed for months must begin in earnest.

“Now, it is incumbent on the UK and the entire international community to do all it can to ensure that this ceasefire does not turn out to be a temporary truce. Otherwise we will not be able to get the remaining hostages home and finally alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

Watch live as Israeli hostage families react following reports Hamas has accepted a ceasefire deal to end the war on Wednesday (15 January).

It came after a Hamas source said the group’s leader, Khalil Al Hayya, had delivered approval for the ceasefire agreement to mediators in Qatar.

Qatar is set to give an update this evening after days of intense negotiations. The Gulf state’s foreign ministry will hold a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, where a truce is being hammered out by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

President-elect Donald Trump has claimed credit for the ceasefire agreement made between Israel and Hamas, hailing it as an “epic ceasefire agreement”.

He wrote on Truth Social: “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, 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. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven. 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. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!

“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!”

The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, to end the 15-month war in Gaza, is an important step for regional stability, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan has said.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Mr Fidan said Turkey will continue to push for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli knesset will vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal on Thursday, a government official said according to Reuters.

The vote will confirm whether Israel will go ahead with the ceasefire.

Israel and Hamas have agreed an historic ceasefire to end 15 months of war in Gaza, The Independent understands, a conflict in which almost 50,000 people have been killed and has threatened to draw the whole of the Middle East in.

The truce and hostage deal was reached after the prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, meting with Hamas negotiators and then separately the Israelis. Qatar has been a key mediator in seeking to end the conflict.

Triggered by a bloody attack by Hamas inside southern Israel on 7 October in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage, Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza has left more than 46,000 Palestinians dead, the majority women and children according to Palestinian officials. More than 110,000 people have been injured, and thousands of others are feared buried in the rubble of the devastated enclave.

The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew and world affairs editor Sam Kiley report:

US president-elect Donald Trump has sayd the hostages will be “released shorty”, after news emerged that a ceasefire deal has been reached between Hamas and Israel.

On his social media site Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote: “We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!”