Israel and Hamas have agreed to a deal to halt the war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages, raising hopes of an end to the bloodiest round of fighting in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s history. The multiphase agreement comes days before Donald Trump takes office as US president. Trump’s warning that there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages were not released before his inauguration on Monday helped inject renewed momentum into the long-stalled talks. A person close to the talks said a deal had been done. Previous attempts to broker a deal to end the 15-month conflict and secure the release of the 98 Israeli hostages still in Gaza — not all of whom are alive — had repeatedly foundered as Israel and Hamas refused to make the concessions necessary to reach an agreement. © Amir Cohen/Reuters The war was triggered by Hamas’s shock assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, during which militants killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials, and took another 250 hostage. Israel’s devastating retaliatory offensive has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Palestinian officials, as well as reducing much of Gaza, and fuelling a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged enclave. This is a developing story
