US officials said that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and the release of hostages

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and a moratorium on the release of hostages for more than a year Fighting in the Gaza StripUS officials told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Wednesday. Another source with knowledge of the talks told CBS News that the agreement was reached after the Qatari prime minister met with Hamas negotiators in his office, as well as with Israeli negotiators.

The agreement was reached after a week of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt.

As news of the deal spread, crowds gathered in Deir al-Bala in Gaza and celebratory gunfire was heard.

The contract was drafted agreed in principle Arab, US and Israeli officials told CBS News earlier in the week.

Over the past few weeks, negotiations have been intense in Doha, with Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East adviser, staying in the region for more than a month. McGurk works closely with President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Mr. Biden spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday about the talks.

The families of the 100 or so hostages still held in Israel after the brutal October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, in which the group and allied militants killed nearly 1,200 people, hold regular rallies. release of loved ones. The Israel Defense Forces said it believed about a third of the hostages were already dead.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since the start of the war, and most of the Gazan population is displaced and lives in camps. There have been humanitarian groups struggling to deliver aidand experts have warned of famine.

What is in the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire agreement?

Details of the deal have yet to be officially released, but it appears to build on an agreement Mr. Biden outlined last year.

It will consist of three phases, each lasting about 42 days, according to a draft obtained from intermediary sources reviewed by CBS News earlier this week.

In the first phase, Hamas will release 33 female and child hostages, as well as hostages over the age of 50, according to the draft seen by CBS News. For every hostage returned to Israel, 30 Palestinian women and children would be released from Israeli prisons. Hamas will release all hostages over the age of 50, and Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners aged 50 and over.

A senior Israeli official told CBS News that the release of hostages from Israel will begin on the first day of the 42-day ceasefire period.

On that first day, Hamas will release three hostages, according to a draft seen by CBS News. On the seventh day, Hamas would release the four hostages. After that, every seven days, Hamas will release the three hostages it took from Israel, starting with the living and continuing to return the bodies of the dead.

The draft, seen by CBS News, calls for a complete ceasefire in Gaza to allow aid to flow in while the hostages and prisoners are exchanged. International aid groups and the United Nations will resume operations in Gaza and begin rebuilding the enclave’s infrastructure, such as water, electricity and sewage systems.

According to a document seen by CBS News, the second phase of the deal calls for the release of all remaining male Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza.

The third phase includes the exchange of hostages and bodies of prisoners, the beginning of the reconstruction of Gaza and the opening of the borders.

Margaret Brennan, Marwan Al-Ghoul, Mais Al-Bayaa and Michal Ben-Gal contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.