Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire deal that will pause fighting in Gaza for six weeks and lead to the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, President Joe Biden confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
Hamas and its allied militant groups are expected to release 33 hostages seized from Israel during the attacks of October 7, 2023, Biden announced Wednesday, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Those hostages are expected to include all women, children and older people who were captured over a year ago and are still alive.
This first phase of the deal will also include a complete ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated parts of Gaza, Biden said, as well as the scheduled release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Biden went on to state that the second phase of the deal would include the remaining hostages held in Gaza, including male soldiers and departure from Gaza of the rest of the Israeli forces.
“It is a very good afternoon,” Biden said, adding, “The road to this deal has not been easy.”
Biden acknowledged that his administration worked with Trump’s advisors to get the deal done. “Its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration,” Biden said. “For the past few days we have been speaking as one team.”
As news of the deal emerged Wednesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump posted about it on his social media platform Truth Social. “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
Hamas is set to free three hostages on the first day of the ceasefire, then another four on the seventh day, according to the Associated Press. After that, it will make weekly releases. The first batch of 33 hostages are expected to include five female Israeli soldiers, each to be released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 militants who are serving life sentences.
Biden, in a statement released earlier Wednesday, credited the deal to multiple factors, including the “extreme pressure that Hamas has been under,” the “weakening of Iran” in the region and “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy.”
The news comes amid reports by UNICEF that at least 74 children were killed in the Gaza Strip in just the first seven days of 2025.
“Children have reportedly been killed in several mass casualty events, including nighttime attacks in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Al Mawasi, a unilaterally designated ‘safe zone’ in the south,” UNICEF wrote. “The most recent attack, yesterday, saw five children reportedly killed in Al Mawasi.”
Biden stated that the third phase of the deal would include a “major reconstruction plan” for Gaza, as well as the return of any final remains of hostages killed.
Some Israeli officials have cautioned that details of the deal are still being worked out, according to a statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
