Israel and Hamas have reached a cease-fire and hostilities agreement to end more than a year of fighting in GazaUS officials told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on Wednesday. The agreement comes after a week of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar, the US and Egypt.
There had been a version of the contract agree in principle earlier this week, Arab, US and Israeli officials told CBS News.
Intense talks have been going on in Doha for the past few weeks, with President Biden's top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, staying in the area for the better part of a month. McGurk has been coordinating closely with President Trump's pick for special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Mr. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone Sunday about the talks.
In Israel, the families of around 100 hostages are still being held following the brutal attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which saw the group and terrorists kill around 1,200 people, have been holding regular rallies requesting a negotiated agreement for the the salvation of the loved ones. The IDF has said it believes about a third of the guards have already died.
More than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and most of Gaza's population is displaced and lives in camps. There have been humanitarian organizations struggle to deliver aidand experts have warned of famine.
This is new news and will be updated.
