Israel and Hamas agree to 'long overdue' ceasefire in major breakthrough in 15-month Gaza Strip war

Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal to pause the war in the Gaza Strip, halting a devastating 15-month war in an outcome hailed by Sir Keir Starmer as “long overdue”.

The Prime Minister paid tribute on Wednesday night to British citizens who were killed during the bitter conflict in the Middle East, as he vowed the UK would join its allies in continuing work to “break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace” for Israelis and Palestinians.

The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.

It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.

Outgoing US president Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday, both claimed credit for the critical breakthrough.

The historic agreement was sealed after the White House brought Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, into negotiations that have dragged on for months.

An image taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip. Picture: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

Mr Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the moving force behind the deal, whose final details were still being ironed out, according to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

“This epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November, as it signalled to the entire World that my administration would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our allies,” Mr Trump wrote on social media.

“I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”

Mr Biden stressed in a statement that a deal was reached under “the precise contours” of a plan that he set out in late May.

“It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran, but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Mr Biden said.

“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”

A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, bringing a potential end to the devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip. | AFP via Getty Images

Sir Keir paid tribute to “those who won’t make it home, including the British people who were murdered by Hamas”.

At least a dozen British citizens and some 1,200 Israelis were killed during the surprise Hamas cross-border attack on October 7, 2023 that triggered months of fighting.

Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90 per cent of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister said: “After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for.

“They have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7, 2023.

“The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families. But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home, including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them.

“For the innocent Palestinians whose homes turned into a warzone overnight and the many who have lost their lives, this ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza.

“And then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people, grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state.”

The agreement still needs to be approved by Mr Netanyahu’s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.

The deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.

Over six weeks, 33 of the nearly 100 hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones after months in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it is unclear if all are alive.

It remained unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians would be able to return to what remains of their homes and whether the agreement would lead to a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — key Hamas demands for releasing the remaining captives.

Community groups and parliamentarians from across the political spectrum in Britain reacted with cautious optimism to the agreement.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it hoped the deal would mean “Israeli and Palestinian civilians will see an end to suffering and work can begin towards a comprehensive resolution that grants peace and security to all”.

Families of British citizens murdered in the Israel-Hamas conflict expressed “cautious optimism” over the ceasefire and hostage deal and warned “there will never be any closure” until all Israeli hostages are returned.

Stephen Brisley, whose sister Lianne Sharabi was killed with her daughters Noiya and Yahel, refused to get carried away after “so many false dawns”.

First Minister John Swinney said: “Since the outset of this conflict, the Scottish Government has called for urgent de-escalation, an immediate ceasefire by all sides and the release of hostages.

“We join the international community in welcoming the agreement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and hope that this can be the beginning of a long-term political solution in the Middle East.

“There is, however, still significant work required to ensure peace and security across the region.”

Many longer-term questions about post-war Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.

Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and destructive war they have ever fought, a conflict that has destabilised the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Leading charities warned that an “enormous” increase in humanitarian aid would now be needed.

Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef, said: “The ceasefire must, finally, afford humanitarian actors the opportunity to safely roll out the massive response inside the Gaza Strip that is so desperately needed.

“This includes unimpeded access to reach all children and families with essential food and nutrition, health care and psychosocial support, clean water, and sanitation, education, and learning, as well as cash assistance and the resumption of commercial trucking operations.”

Ms Russell said less than half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were functional, water production was at less than 25 per cent capacity and 95 per cent of Gaza’s school buildings have been damaged or destroyed.