Cease-Fire Deal Brings Fragile Hope to War-Torn Gaza

A pivotal U.S.-Qatar-brokered cease-fire pauses Gaza’s 15-month war, freeing 33 hostages and initiating peace talks. Biden calls it “one day of success.”

In a significant breakthrough, Qatar and the United States announced on Wednesday that a cease-fire agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas, marking a potential turning point in a brutal conflict that has ravaged Gaza for the past 15 months. The deal, which centers on the release of 33 Israeli hostages and the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the embattled Palestinian enclave, also outlines steps toward a longer-term resolution to the conflict.

The proposal, first suggested by President Joe Biden in May 2024, reflects months of painstaking negotiations by senior U.S. officials, who have shuttled between regional capitals in an effort to bridge the profound divides between the warring parties. The initial phase of the agreement calls for a six-week cessation of hostilities, accompanied by a massive influx of aid to Gaza, which has been decimated by relentless Israeli airstrikes and ground operations.

According to the terms of the deal, Israel will gradually wit…