Israel Agrees with Hamas Terrorists on 19 January Ceasefire and Hostage Release: World Leaders Welcome Deal

Fifteen months after the war in Gaza began with a devastating Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel, Jerusalem and the Palestinian terrorist group reached a ceasefire and hostage deal on Wednesday. The agreement was confirmed by representatives of Israel, Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar. It is expected to come into force on Sunday, 19 January. On the same day, the terrorists are to release the first hostages.

According to many media outlets, after the agreement comes into effect, Hamas will gradually release 33 Israeli hostages during the first 42 days of the ceasefire. The first three hostages are scheduled to be released on the first day, and four more on the seventh day. After that, three hostages will be released every seven days, and the last 14 will be released in the last week of the first phase. The remaining 65 hostages will be released only if the parties can agree on the second phase of the ceasefire, which will begin two weeks after the cessation of hostilities.

The day before, on Wednesday 15 January, after confirming and reaching an agreement according to which Hamas terrorists would release hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting and Israel would release Palestinian prisoners, world leaders welcomed the news of the deal.

US President Joe Biden said he was ‘thrilled’ with the news. He also remembered those who died during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war.

‘This agreement will end the fighting in Gaza, increase much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, and reunite Israeli hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,’ he said.

Biden added that he was also thinking of ‘American families, three of whom are living as hostages in Gaza and four of whom are awaiting the return of their loved ones’ remains. 

US President-elect Donald Trump, taking credit for the deal, also welcomed the news in a post on his Truth Social platform, attributing the achievement to his ‘historic victory’ in the November elections.

‘We have an agreement on hostages in the Middle East. They will be released soon. Thank you!’ he wrote.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the deal was ‘long overdue’ for Israelis and Palestinians who ‘have borne the brunt of this conflict, provoked by the brutal Hamas terrorists who committed the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on 7 October 2023’. 

‘The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions since then, can now finally return to their families,’ he said.

Starmer added that the agreement should be used to ‘allow the huge surge of humanitarian aid that is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza’ and then lead to a two-state solution.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the agreement good news and called for its implementation. 

‘All hostages must be released, and the remains of the dead must also be handed over to their families for a decent burial,’ he wrote, adding that the agreement “opens the door to a permanent end to the war and an improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza” and that Germany will continue to work towards this.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the deal in a post on X, saying it brought ‘enormous relief for the people of Gaza, hope for the hostages and their families’ after 15 months of ‘unjustified ordeal’.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, noted the fact that ‘the hostages will be reunited with their loved ones and humanitarian aid can reach civilians in Gaza.

‘This brings hope to the whole region, where people have suffered enormously for too long,’ she said. ‘Both sides must fully implement this agreement as a stepping stone to lasting stability in the region and a diplomatic solution to the conflict.’

Spanish President Pedro Sánchez also wrote on X that he welcomed the agreement, saying that ‘it should end the conflict, allow for a solution to the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza and the release of all hostages.’

‘This agreement is crucial to achieving regional stability. It is a necessary step towards a two-state solution and a just peace that respects international law,’ he wrote.

The office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy ‘is ready to play its part, together with its European and international partners, to stabilise and reconstruct Gaza and to permanently consolidate the cessation of hostilities, also with a view to resuming the political process for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.’