Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal officially signed by negotiators in Doha

Cabinet discussions are underway at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem after a cease-fire and hostage release deal officially was signed by Israel, Hamas, U.S. and Qatari officials.

Click here to follow the latest updates.

A cease-fire and hostage deal has officially been signed by Israel, Hamas, U.S. and Qatari officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed of the agreement and has instructed a meeting with his political-security cabinet, which would be followed by a government meeting to approve the plan, his office said in a statement translated from Hebrew to English.

"The families of the hostages were informed a short while ago of the agreements by the Directorate for Hostages, Missing Persons, and Returnees in the Prime Minister’s Office," the statement said. "Additionally, the Prime Minister instructed the Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons to coordinate preparations for the reception of the hostages upon their return to Israel."

Netanyahu has directed that the Security Cabinet be convened later Friday.

Originally, the Israeli government was set to vote on the measure on Saturday, which would delay the release of the first three hostages until Monday.

Government officials cited last-minute issues with Hamas for the delay.

Efrat Lachter contributed to this post.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Biden and President-elect Trump during a pair of Thursday phone calls to discuss the cease-fire and hostage deal, his office said.

Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader thanked Trump for his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages and for “helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families.”

“The Prime Minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US President-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism,” his office said.

The pair decided to meet in Washington D.C. soon to discuss other important issues.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu then spoke with US President Joe Biden and thanked him as well for his assistance in advancing the hostages deal,” Netanyahu's office said.

President-elect Trump said a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas had better finalized before he is sworn into office on Monday.

During a podcast interview with Dan Bongino, the incoming commander-in-chief also said his involvement in the negotiations was crucial to the deal getting done.

“We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” he said. “I’m not looking for credit. I want to get these people out. We’ve got to get them out.”

Trump also said “we shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done," The Associated Press reported.

The deal is expected to begin on Sunday, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said issues with Hamas has held up his government’s approval of the truce. 

The parents of an American-Israeli hostage who was killed by Hamas terrorists called a cease-fire and hostage deal “bittersweet" but thanked officials for working to free the remaining captives being held in Gaza.

Ronan and Orna Neutra said the body of their son, Omer Neutra, has been held by Hamas since he was captured on Oct. 7, 2023.

“It's a tough moment. On the one hand, we're happy and excited for the families that will hopefully get to see their loved ones after such a long time,” Orna Neutra told Sandra Smith on “Your World.” “We're really hopeful that this new administration will be able to bring the deal to fruition and will have all the gravitas to put on the different parties in the region to follow through on it. We trust President Trump that, you know, this is important to him and that he will make sure that this happens.”

Ronan Neutra said Hamas has used the bodies of dead hostages as “negotiation chips" to gain favorable conditions from Israel.

“And we are just appalled from the whole situation and obviously are praising the incoming Trump administration for joining all the efforts that were done by the Biden administration, leading to this moment where the deal was finally announced yesterday,” he said. “But it's a very bittersweet deal because it's fragile.”

Orna Neutra was the head of a small post close to Gaza and was killed after responding with team members to the attack on Israeli communities by Hamas, his father said.

“They took him alive and he died in Gaza,” he said. 

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said he was confident the cease-fire and hostage deal would be approved and start to be implemented by the beginning of the week.

“We are committed to bringing back all the hostages,” Danny Danon told “Your World” on Thursday. “Hopefully in the next week we will start to see a few hostages coming back home.”

Danon said he was optimistic the deal would be finalized despite attempts by Hamas to gain more concessions.

“Unfortunately, you know, in the last minute, Hamas tried to blackmail and to get more results for the other side to change some of the names," he said. "And we are not willing to do it. I believe we will be able to overcome those difficulties."

“Hopefully beginning of the week it will start to be implemented,” Danon added.

He noted that Israeli representatives, as well as intelligence officials, were in Doha, Qatar negotiating the final points of the deal, which is expected to be voted on in Israel in the coming days.

“That will be the first stage. And during the first stage, we will be able to negotiate the future,” Danon said. “But if you ask me about the vision, first, we bring them home, all of the hostages, and then we will not allow Hamas to control Gaza because we know if Hamas will stay there, it will be dangerous for Israel and there will be no future for the Palestinians in Gaza.”

Progressive leaders in the foreign policy sphere are admitting that President-elect Donald Trump’s influence led to the cease-fire deal between Israel and terror group Hamas being struck this week. 

Politico reported Thursday that these experts have recognized Trump’s role in getting the deal done, with some noting that President Biden didn’t have the stomach to do what should have been done months ago.

Center for International Policy executive vice president Matt Duss told the outlet that Trump "made clear he wanted this war to end and pressed Netanyahu on it in a way that Biden clearly wasn’t willing to do."

IDF Reserve Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told Fox News that the incoming president was one of the major reasons this deal was agreed upon, even though it had been on the table since May.

"Once President Trump threatened them, that if they don't release hostages, there will be hell… I think they understand that if they don't get a deal now, the chances of getting a good deal for them will be very, very low, if at all," Avivi said on FNC’s "Your World."

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby recognized Trump's incoming Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff as a key figure in brokering the deal.

Trump last week warned Hamas that if all hostages weren’t released by the time he returns to office, "All hell will break out."

Duss – who was once a foreign policy aide for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.– told Politico how Trump’s involvement affected the deal. 

"Trump has made clear what he wants, he has his own priorities, and I think it was clearly the unconditional support that Biden gave that provided cover for Netanyahu to continue to prosecute this war, and also that there would be no costs for ignoring either private or public criticisms from the United States," he said.

This is an excerpt from an article by Gabriel Hays.

Israel's ruling Likud party criticized National Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he said his party would leave the coalition government if it approves the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.

“Whoever dissolves the right-wing government will be remembered forever,” a Likud statement said.

The statement also denied claims by Ben-Gvir that the deal constitutes an end to Israel's war against Hamas.

“Contrary to Ben Gvir’s comments, the existing deal allows Israel to return to fighting under American guarantees, receive the weapons and means of warfare it needs, maximize the number of living hostages that will be released, maintain full control of the Philadelphi Route [on the Egyptian border] and the security buffer that surrounds the entire Gaza Strip, and achieve dramatic security achievements that will ensure Israel’s security for generations.”

Ben-Gvir said the cease-fire and hostage deal is a capitulation to Hamas, which started the ongoing conflict with its attack on Israel on Oct.7, 2023. 

News of a cease-fire and hostage deal has left a mother conflicted as one of her sons is expected to be freed, but a second will be left behind in captivity.

"It is not easy for a mother to hear this," Ruth Strum told Reuters, wearing a red t-shirt emblazoned with photos of her two burly sons and the plea: "Bring Iair and Eitan home".

Eitan Horn, 38, was staying with his brother Iair Horn, 46, at his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Both men were taken and dragged into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Some 98 hostages remain in captivity, but under the terms of Wednesday's ceasefire, only 33 will be released over the next six weeks, which includes women and children, men over 50 and sick or wounded people.

The freeing of Iair suggests he may not be well, although there has been no word about his health, Reuters reported. The handover of the remaining 65 hostages, some of whom are believed to be dead, will be negotiated separately.

Strum said she talks to her sons aloud all time, as though they were still with her.

"I ask them to wait just a little longer, it will happen and you will be back with us. I ask for their forgiveness, for all the time that has passed in which they are not back here.

President-elect Trump on Thursday touted a newspaper report saying he did more to sway Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in one meeting than President Biden did all year in efforts to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas.

The Times of Israel report said that a meeting between Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in negotiations.

Witkoff has been in Doha, Qatar for the past week to take part in the hostage negotiations, as officials try to secure a cease-fire and hostage deal before Trump’s inauguration next week.

While meeting with Netanyahu, Witkoff urged the premier to accept some key compromises necessary for an agreement, the two Arab officials on Monday told The Times of Israel.

Trump has criticized Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war, saying he failed to do enough to secure a deal sooner.

Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet are set to delay a vote on the cease-fire and hostage deal with Hamas until Saturday, according to reports.

The delayed vote could mean the implementation of the deal may not happen before Monday. A Channel 12 report cited by the Times of Israel said that the cabinet ministers will meet Friday to discuss the deal.

The meeting is expected to continue into Saturday. After the vote, a list of Palestinian security prisoners to be freed will be published, and opponents will have 48 hours to petition against these releases to the Supreme Court.

The report states that Netanyahu's office has decided that if the original timetable were to be maintained, and a vote to be taken on Friday, it would mean opponents of the prisoner releases would have almost no time to lodge appeals.

The Channel 12 report said that judicial sources made clear that the formal 48-hour period for petitions can be shortened, but that Netanyahu's office was not persuaded.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his ultra-nationalist party "Otzma Yehudit" would withdraw from a government coalition if the hostage and cease-fire deal were ratified.

On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir threatened to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over the deal, which he described as a capitulation to Hamas.

He said that if the fighting in Gaza were to resume, he would come back to the government.

The threat puts more pressure on Netanyahu, as Ben-Gvir’s party has 7 votes out of the current 68 Knesset members. It would bring him to 61 – the minimum majority.

It would also make other ministers vote against the agreement.

Opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid both said they will help Netanyahu if the deal goes through.

“I say to Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t be afraid or intimidated, you will get every safety net you need to make the hostage deal,” Lapid wrote on X. “This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had.”

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday to discuss the cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

During the conversation, Harris expressed confidence that the deal will be implemented on schedule, the White House said.

“The Vice President welcomed that the deal would return hostages to their families, bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza through a surge in humanitarian aid, and form the basis for a lasting end to the war and security for Israel,” a White House statement said.

Harris expressed her belief that the deal will lay the foundation for a more peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians.

On Thursday, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said that he was "confident" that the cease-fire and hostage exchange deal can still be "implemented" on Sunday.

Israeli media is reporting that the country's cabinet will meet tomorrow to ratify the agreement between Israel and Hamas. 

"Prime Minister Netanyahu firmly insists on finalizing all the details of the agreement before he brings it to the approval of the cabinet and the government,” an Israeli political source told Fox News. 

“This is how he firmly opposed Hamas's demand to change the deployment of our forces along the Philadelphi axis and this is how he firmly stands against other demands of Hamas today, which deviate from the understandings reached during the negotiations,” the source continued. “It seems that this insistence is bearing fruit, but until things are fully concluded, Prime Minister Netanyahu will not convene the cabinet and the government." 

Confusion over whether a deal had been successfully reached – as both the U.S. and Qatar had confirmed on Wednesday – erupted after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday claimed Hamas was "creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement." 

Fox News’ Yonat Friling and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

Security escorted two reporters out of the room Thursday who began berating Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his final press conference, according to C-SPAN.

"I have even greater respect, even greater appreciation, for you asking the tough questions. For you holding us to account,” Blinken was saying to the press corps just moments before he was first interrupted. “Being on the receiving end sometimes that's not always the most comfortable thing, not always the most enjoyable thing, but it is the most necessary thing in our democracy." 

A man then started shouting at Blinken. 

"Why did you allow my friends to be massacred?" he said. "How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?"  

"Your grandfather was an Israeli lobbyist -- are you compromised by Israel? Why did you allow the Holocaust of our times to happen?” the reporter also asked. 

"I am happy to address questions when we get a chance, thank you,” Blinken was heard saying during the exchange. 

Another reporter later interrupted Blinken and was heard shouting "get your hands off me!" at security trying to remove him from his seat.

"I was sitting here quietly, and now I'm being manhandled by two or three people. You pontificate about a free press? You pontificate about a free press?" he continued. "You are hurting me. You're hurting me. You are hurting me."

"Please sir, respect the process, we'll have an opportunity to take questions in a few minutes," Blinken told him.

"Criminal! Why aren't you in The Hague?" the man was heard shouting as he was taken out of the room.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he expects the agreement between Israel and Hamas to go into effect on Sunday. 

“I think this week was another reminder both of the power and the purpose of American leadership and American diplomacy. Over 15 months of devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas, we've worked to broker a deal that would bring hostages home, that would stop the fighting, that would surge humanitarian aid to people who so desperately need it. That would create the space to conclude a permanent cease fire,” Blinken said.”

“We now have that, and we expect implementation of the agreement to begin on Sunday,” Blinken added. “As President Biden said yesterday, after more than 400 days of struggle, a day of success has arrived.”  

"Do I wish we could have gotten the cease-fire agreement months ago? Of course," Blinken later said.

"Look, it's not exactly surprising that in a process, in a negotiation that has been this challenging, this fraught, you may get a loose end, we're tying up that loose end as we speak," Blinken also said.

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday morning that he is "confident" that a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal can still be "implemented" Sunday as families of two Americans slated for immediate release await answers. 

"There's a deal," Kirby told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. "We're confident that we're going to be able to start implementing it on Sunday. There are some implementing details that still need to be ironed out. We're working with the Israelis on that very, very hard right now.

"But we're confident that we're going to get there," he added.

Confusion over whether a deal had been successfully reached – as both the U.S. and Qatar had confirmed on Wednesday – erupted after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday claimed Hamas was "creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement."

"Hamas is backing out of the explicit understandings agreed upon with the mediators and Israel in a last-minute blackmail attempt," he claimed, according to a statement shared by Israeli news agency TPS-IL.

Hamas has reportedly rebuffed the Israeli government’s accusations.

Netanyahu deferred a cabinet hearing that was supposed to be set for Thursday morning to vote on the deal until "the mediators announce that Hamas has approved all the details of the agreement."

But Kirby appeared determined to make clear that the deal had not collapsed and told MSNBC, "It’s not breaking down."

Also telling NBC "We're aware of these issues that the prime minister has raised… We're confident that we'll be able to solve these last-minute issues and get it moving."

This is an excerpt from an article by Caitlin McFall.

Israeli forces killed a Hamas terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in airstrikes overnight Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The Israeli air force struck and killed Muhammad Hasham Zahedi Abu Al-Rus, a militant with the Nukhba forces, who the IDF says participated in the massacre at the Nova Music Festival.

"In other joint IDF and ISA activities over the last day, the IAF conducted strikes on approximately 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, military compounds, weapons storage facilities, launch posts, weapons manufacturing sites, and observation posts," the IDF said.

"Prior to the strikes, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the use of aerial surveillance, precise munitions, and additional intelligence.

"The Hamas terrorist organization continues to exploit the civilian population for its terror attacks against the State of Israel in violation of international law. The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of these terrorist organizations."

A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that a cease-fire arrangement between Israel and Hamas had not been reached and blamed Hamas for adding conditions at the last minute.

“As of this time, the details of the agreement have not yet been finalized and the negotiation team is continuing its efforts to reach a solution,” said David Mencer, according to TPS, an Israeli news agency.

“We thought we had an agreement last night. Today, Hamas has been making changes to this agreement,” he added.

“As such, the Israeli Cabinet cannot meet to agree this deal. It cannot convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement that were already agreed,” Mencer said.

Israel's security cabinet was expected to meet Thursday morning to vote on a proposed cease-fire deal mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt. 

The agreement would have required Hamas to release 33 women, children, elderly and sick captives in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences in the first stage.

But Netanyahu coalition members and officials are objecting to the agreement, because it did not immediately guarantee the release of another 65 hostages held by Hamas, instead requiring that negotiations over those hostages begin 16 days after the cease-fire was scheduled to take effect on Sunday.

As many as 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel could be released under the terms of the agreement in exchange for the 33 hostages and an end to hostilities.