Israel-Hamas ceasefire: 2 Americans expected to be released by Hamas in first phase of deal 

In Tel Aviv, some relatives of hostages held by Hamas were not celebrating the ceasefire announcement, disappointed that the plan allows for such a staggered and uncertain release of their loved ones.

Palestinians gathered in the West Bank to revel in the news that a ceasefire could come as soon as Sunday.

Video circulated on social media of people waving flags and praising Allah in the streets of Ramallah. They also praised Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was killed by Israel and believed to be behind the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.

"May God bless your soul, Sinwar," people chanted. "May God bless your soul, Sinwar."

J Street, a liberal pro-Israel advocacy group based in the United States, says it welcomes news of a ceasefire deal and hopes it will end the "daily terror" endured by families in Gaza and those displaced in Israel.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, the organization's president, said in a statement that extremists on "both sides" may try to spoil the agreement but that they cannot be allowed to succeed.

"Implementation of the agreement will now be key: All the hostages have to come home," Ben-Ami said. "Rockets need to stop. Forces must pull back. Aid has to get in. The war needs to end."

Mediators of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal vowed in a statement today that leaders from Egypt, Qatar and the United States would act as guarantors of the agreement.

Their role is to ensure both parties implement all three phases of the agreement in full, working with Israel and Hamas to ensure the obligations are met. It is expected to begin Sunday if Israel's Cabinet and Supreme Court allow the deal to proceed.

"The guarantors will also work in coordination with the United Nations, donor countries, and partners from around the world to support a rapid and sustained increase in humanitarian assistance to Gaza under the terms set out in the agreement," the statement said.

The deal aims to allow a "return to sustainable calm, achieving a permanent ceasefire between the two parties."

American hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel are alive and expected to be released in the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, a senior administration official said.

The first phase would see the release of women, children, elderly and wounded hostages.

Siegel is in his 60s and his wife, Aviva, was among those released in the 2023 temporary ceasefire agreement. Dekel-Chen turned 36 while in captivity, and his father, Jonathan, told NBC News that his family has not heard about his condition in roughly a year.

Dekel-Chen was shot during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, the senior administration official said, which qualified him for release under the wounded category. Other male hostages are expected to be released during a later phase of the deal.

Netanyahu spoke to Trump to thank him for his commitment to the release of hostages before he spoke to Biden to thank him for his help in negotiations, the prime minister's office said.

"The Prime Minister emphasized his commitment to bringing back all the hostages by any means and praised the President-elect for his statement that the United States will work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never again become a haven for terrorism," Netanyahu's office said.

He and Trump, who is set to be inaugurated next week, also discussed Netanyahu's visiting Washington to discuss the deal, as well as other matters. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, but the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, which would require it to detain Netanyahu if he steps onto U.S. soil.

Yarden Bibas, his wife, Shiri, and their sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 1, were kidnapped from their home in Israel's Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023. Shiri and her sons might be among the 33 hostages released as part of the ceasefire agreement, but their family is "waiting for certainty" before it celebrates the news.

"We are aware of the publications stating that all of our family members are included in phase A of the agreement and that Shiri and the children are among the first to be released," the family said in a statement. "We have learned from experience and disappointment, and therefore, until our loved ones cross the border, there is no end to the story."

"We are waiting for certainty regarding their release and their condition and ask that you do not contact us during this sensitive period. We ask that you do not help spread rumors," the family added. "We are addressing the prime minister and continue to demand the return of everyone, down to the last abductee."

Today in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square," Shiri's cousin Jimmy Miller reflected on the time his loved ones have been held.

“This Saturday Kfir will be 2 years old,” Miller said. “This kid never celebrated his birthday with his family, with his parents. It’s a terrible thing to think about.”

“I really hope that he’s going to celebrate his second birthday after a few days,” said Miller, 48. “That he’s going to be released from Gaza. It’s a big hope, and I really hope that it’s going to happen.” 

In addition to the release of hostages, the outline of the ceasefire agreement, which is not yet finalized, includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops, a Palestinian prisoner exchange, an influx of humanitarian aid and the reopening of the Rafah Crossing, Hamas spokesperson Basim Naim said.

It's unclear which specific aspects of the deal have been agreed to and which are void.

Hostages would be exchanged for Palestinians in Israeli custody, including 1,000 Gazan detainees who had no involvement in the Oct.7, 2023, attack but have been detained by Israel since then.

Israeli troops would also gradually withdraw eastward from densely populated areas of Gaza, deployed in a perimeter based on maps to be agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas. The military would also gradually reduce its troops in the Philadelphi corridor until the eventual withdrawal by the end of 50 days.

The Rafah Crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt would be reopened for civilians and the transfer of the wounded.

After a deal was announced, “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv stood quiet as families of hostages stayed home, some expressing disbelief until their loved ones are safely returned.

Nearby, at a protest outside the Defense Ministry, emotions ran high as demonstrators criticized the government, claiming the deal mirrors one that could have been reached in May.  

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praises the ceasefire announcement as "very good news" in a statement from the Senate floor.

Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States.

The ceasefire deal will be implemented in three phases over several weeks.

Biden, who described the talks as "one of the toughest negotiations" he has ever experienced, said the agreement's first phase will take more than six weeks as Hamas releases hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded.

The first phase would also bring the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and the repopulation of certain areas of Gaza. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid would also be sent into Gaza daily.

Just before Biden left the room of reporters, he was asked whether he or Trump should get credit for the deal.

"Is that a joke?" Biden asked, turning to leave.

Biden was also asked how much credit Trump's incoming administration should get for securing the deal. He noted that the current agreement's framework is from his proposal months ago and that it was his administration's support for Israel that helped "badly weaken Hamas."

"I knew this deal would have to be implemented by the next team, so I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we’re all speaking with the same voice," Biden said. "Because that’s what American presidents do."

Jeremy Bash, Former chief of staff at the CIA and the Pentagon, explains why he believes separating hostages and releasing them at two different times as outlined in the ceasefire deal is not ideal.

Though Netanyahu's office has warned that Israel's government has yet to finalize the deal, the military has gone ahead with a public name for the return of hostages.

"Wings of Freedom is the name given to the IDF’s preparations for the return of the hostages," the Israel Defense Forces said on X.

News of a deal to end the war in Gaza is long overdue to the Israeli and Palestinian civilians who "have borne the brunt" of the violence, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement today.

Starmer urged citizens to pay tribute to those who were killed and captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, as well as the innocent Palestinians "whose homes turned into a war zone overnight."

"And then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people — grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state," Starmer said.

Adi Alexander, the father of Edan Alexander, one of the hostages held by Hamas, tells NBC News' Lester Holt that news of the deal is "unbelievable" and "a long time coming."

In southern Gaza “everyone is in total hysteria,” Abdallah Abujaser, 22, told NBC News after the deal was announced.

He added that he hoped to return to northern Gaza with his mother and three sisters and reunite with the rest of his family.

"I’m looking forward to returning to Gaza City and Jabalia camp,” said Abujaser, who was displaced from his home due to the fighting.

But after 15 months of grueling war, he added, “Due to the many conflicting feelings I do not know what my feelings are.”

The deal will take effect on Sunday, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in a news conference in his country’s capital, Doha.

“Phase one of the agreement will go on for 42 days and it will include a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the east away from populated areas,” he said. “Israeli forces will then be positioned along the Gaza border, which will allow for the swap or prisoners, as well as the return of the remains and the return of the displaced people to their residences.” 

“Hamas will be releasing 33 hostages including women and female recruits, as well children, elderly people and ill people and wounded in return for a number of prisoners who are being held in Israeli prisons,” he added.

Humanitarian aid will also return “to all parts of the Gaza Strip as well as the rehabilitation of hospitals, health centers and allowing the entry of fuel and civil defense equipment, as well as basic necessities for people who lost their houses as a result of the war,” he said.

The families of the seven Americans who remain in Gaza are "deeply grateful" at news of that their loved ones may be released and returned home soon.

In a statement, the families warned that the coming days may be just as painful as the last year as they learn the full extent of what occured during their family member's captivity.

"We have been waiting for 467 days while our family members suffer from life-threatening injuries, abuse, torture, and sexual violence," the statement said. "We thank President Biden, President-elect Trump, and their teams for their constructive efforts to make this possible."

President Joe Biden confirmed the Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal, hailing “many months of intensive diplomacy” by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” the outgoing president said in a statement.

In subsequent on-camera remarks, Biden said he was “deeply satisfied this day has finally come, for the sake of the people of Israel and the families waiting in agony, and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza, who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war.”

Two senior administration officials say the hostage deal and cease fire agreement has been reached.

President Joe Biden is expected to speak publicly on the deal, the source said.

NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell reports on White House involvement in the many months of negotiation leading up to the ceasefire deal and how both the Biden and Trump administrations wanted to see a resolution as soon as possible.

President Joe Biden confirmed the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, saying it is based on the May 2024 outline that was "unanimously" endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.  

"It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin," Biden said in a statement today. "I am also thinking of the American families, three of whom have living hostages in Gaza and four awaiting return of remains after what has been the most horrible ordeal imaginable."

The president credited the work of numerous negotiators, including Egypt and Qatar, and "extreme pressure" on Hamas, particularly after a ceasefire in Lebanon.

"My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done," Biden said.

Families of hostages in Gaza are asking for "space" regarding news of the ceasefire deal and providing updates through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the organization said.

"The hours ahead will be filled with profound anxiety and emotion for all involved," the forum said in a statement.

Though news broke that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a deal, Israel's Cabinet must approve the deal before it can go into effect. The country's Supreme Court has to then allow 24 hours to permit an appeal, meaning the earliest a ceasefire could go into effect would be Friday.

A senior Hamas official said the militant group was "very happy" to secure the deal but suggested it was very similar to one discussed back in May.

Basem Naim confirmed to NBC News in a statement that Hamas had agreed to the current deal.

But he said that "both parties have lost thousands of innocent civilians," because of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "and his government political games.”

The agreement between Hamas and Israel still has some issues to be ironed out, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

“There are still several unresolved clauses in the outline, and we hope that the details will be finalized tonight,” his office said in a statement.

The statement also touted what it characterized as a compromise on Hamas’ part.

“Hamas has backed down on its demand at the last minute to change the deployment of forces on” the Philadelphi Corridor, a the narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt, according to the statement.

President-elect Donald Trump suggested today that the deal was reached because his election win “signaled to the world” that he would seek peace.

“I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones,” he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

He said that his team had “achieved so much without even being in the White House."

He added that his national security team and Steve Witkoff, his special envoy to the Middle East, would “continue to work closely with Israel and our allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”

His cousin Carmel Gat will not be one of the hostages to be freed, but Gil Dickmann told NBC News today that it was “very exciting to see that finally hostages are gonna come home.” Still, the news was bittersweet.

Gat, 40, was kidnapped from her parents’ home in kibbutz Be’eri. An occupational therapist from Tel Aviv, she was called a “guardian angel” by some of the hostages who were freed, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an advocacy group for those held captive.

Her body was recovered in Gaza by the Israeli military in August.

Dickmann said it was “really sad to know that Carmel could have and should have been among them but a deal didn’t come in time and she was murdered in captivity.”

He also thanked President-elect Donald Trump for using his influence to secure the deal. “But this is only the beginning,” Dickmann added. “We urge him and call him to make sure that the Trump Deal doesn’t stop, and right after stage one we’ll have stage two releasing all the hostages. Leave no one behind.”

People in Tel Aviv react to the reports of a possible hostage release deal.

People celebrate in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

A ceasefire deal has been reached to end 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Israeli officials and a source briefed on the negotiations told NBC News on Wednesday.

The hard-won agreement will also free dozens of hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, bringing the first real break in violence since a weeklong truce expired Dec. 1, 2023.

The new follows weeks of talks brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, amid a brutal winter for civilians in Gaza, as well as dramatic developments across the Middle East that have dealt setbacks to Iran, an Israeli foe.

Israel and Hamas have not officially announced a deal, although senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed to NBC News the militant group had agreed to it. Another source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Israeli official briefed on the deal also confirmed the news.

Read the full story here.