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Middle East live updates: Biden confirms ceasefire deal reached

Hamas and Israel have reportedly agreed to a hostage deal.

ByDavid Brennan and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: January 15, 2025, 5:37 PM EST

A ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hamas, with the Qatari prime minister announcing the deal Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. Israeli forces also remain active inside the Syrian border region as victorious rebels there build a transitional government.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
12:52 PM EST

Trump celebrates ceasefire, takes credit for deal

President-elect Donald Trump immediately posted on Truth Social about the agreement on the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

He wrote, in all caps, "WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!"

Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 15, 2025.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

He then also followed that up with a post taking credit for the deal, though the Biden administration has also been involved in the negotiations.

"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies," Trump wrote.

12:47 PM EST

Israel and Hamas reach ceasefire agreement

A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, more than 15 months into the conflict.

A new round of ceasefire negotiations began on Jan. 3 in Qatar. Delegations from Israel and Hamas were dispatched to Doha to resume the negotiations, which were brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The Biden administration also helped broker the talks.

A Palestinian man reacts as he and others wait for news of a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 15, 2025.
Hatem Khaled/Reuters

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously told reporters the United States wanted a ceasefire deal in Gaza and all remaining captives released before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Blinken on Jan. 6 reported "intensified engagement," including by Hamas, on reaching a deal, though he added, "We are yet to see agreement on final points."

Click here for more on the agreement.

11:37 AM EST

Ceasefire deal hits last-minute snag: Israeli source

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has hit a last-minute snag, with both sides at odds over the Philadelphia axis, a piece of land separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt, according to an Israeli source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

"The Israeli negotiating team was recently informed that the Hamas terrorist organization decided at the last minute to make new demands - this time regarding the Philadelphia axis, in contrast to the maps that have already been approved by the cabinet and American mediators. Israel strongly opposes any changes to these maps," the Israeli source told ABC News.

8:55 AM EST

Hamas has given green light to ceasefire deal, sources say

Two sources close to the ceasefire negotiations tell ABC News Hamas has given the green light to the agreement.

A view of damaged buildings in the northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel near Sderot on Jan. 15, 2025.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

"We are very close," the sources said. "The goal (is) an agreement today or tomorrow."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

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