He said the first phase would last for six weeks and include a \u201cfull and complete ceasefire,\u201d a withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, older adults and wounded people, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Humanitarian assistance would surge, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza each day.<\/p>\n
The second and most difficult phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war.<\/p>\n
Biden said the talks that led to the ceasefire agreement were \u201cthe toughest negotiations I\u2019ve ever experienced\u201d in his decades-long political career.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/span>\n\t\t\t\tPressure mounted to get deal done\t\t\t<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\nHamas had been demanding assurances for a permanent end to the war and complete withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, has repeatedly said it would not halt the war until it destroys Hamas\u2019 military and governing capabilities.<\/p>\n
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The various players have conducted months of on-again, off-again negotiations. But with Biden\u2019s\u00a0days in office numbered\u00a0and President-elect Donald Trump set to take over, both sides had been under heavy pressure to agree to a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\tTrending Now<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tTrudeau says Trump tariff response must be \u2018fair,\u2019 won\u2019t rule out energy cuts<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\nTrump celebrated the soon-to-be-announced agreement in a posting on his Truth Social social media platform: \u201cWE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said Biden deserves praise for continuing to push the talks. But Trump\u2019s threats to Hamas and his efforts to \u201ccajole\u201d Netanyahu deserve credit as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ironic reality is that at a time of heightened partisanship even over foreign policy, the deal represents how much more powerful and influential U.S. foreign policy can be when it\u2019s bipartisan,\u201d Panikoff said.<\/p>\n
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Hezbollah\u2019s acceptance of a ceasefire in Lebanon after it had suffered heavy blows, and the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in Syria, were both major setbacks\u00a0for Iran and its allies\u00a0across the region, including Hamas, which was left increasingly isolated.<\/p>\n
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Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll. Israel says it has killed around 17,000 militants \u2014 though it has not provided evidence to support the claim. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing the group of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.<\/p>\n
The International Court of Justice\u00a0is investigating allegations brought by South Africa that Israel has committed genocide. The International Criminal Court, a separate body also based in The Hague,\u00a0has issued arrest warrants\u00a0for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and a Hamas commander for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war.<\/p>\n
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Netanyahu also faced great domestic pressure to bring home the hostages,\u00a0whose plight\u00a0has captured the nation\u2019s attention. Their families have become a powerful lobbying group with wide public support backed by months of mass protests urging the government to reach a deal with Hamas.<\/p>\n
Israeli authorities have already concluded that more than a third of the roughly 100 remaining people held captive are dead, and there are fears that others are no longer alive. A series of videos released by Hamas showing surviving hostages in distress, combined with news that a growing number of abducted Israelis have died, put added pressure on the Israeli leader.<\/p>\n
Hamas,\u00a0a militant group that does not accept Israel\u2019s existence, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza\u2019s largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders,\u00a0including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.<\/p>\n
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But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.<\/p>\n
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Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas\u2019s military and governing capabilities are destroyed. But it has never been clear what that would entail or if it\u2019s even possible, given the group\u2019s deep roots in Palestinian society, its presence in Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, and its exiled leadership.<\/p>\n
If the ceasefire takes hold, both sides face many difficult and unanswered questions.<\/p>\n
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As the war winds down, Netanyahu will face growing calls for postwar investigations that could find him at least partially responsible for\u00a0the security failures of Oct. 7\u00a0\u2014 the worst in Israel\u2019s history. His far-right governing partners, who opposed a ceasefire deal, could also bring down the coalition and push the country into early elections.<\/p>\n
There is still no plan for who will govern Gaza after the war. Israel has said it will work with local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. But it is unclear if such partners exist, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with Israeli forces.<\/p>\n
The United States has tried to advance sweeping postwar plans for\u00a0a reformed Palestinian Authority\u00a0to govern Gaza with Arab and international assistance. As part of those plans, the U.S. hope Saudi Arabia would\u00a0normalize relations with Israel\u00a0in return for U.S. security guarantees and aid in setting up a civilian nuclear program.<\/p>\n
But those plans depend on credible progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu and much of Israel\u2019s political class oppose. Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war that the Palestinians want for their future state.<\/p>\n
In the absence of a postwar arrangement with Palestinian support, Hamas is likely to remain a significant force in Gaza and could reconstitute its military capabilities if Israeli forces fully withdraw.<\/p>\n
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\u2014With additional files from Global News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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