Israel and Hamas Reach A Deal to End the War in Gaza
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Today on State of the World, a deal to end the war in Gaza.

You're listening to State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Wednesday, January 15th. I'm Greg Dixon. Today, an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to end the fighting in Gaza. The deal, if implemented, would bring an end to the war that began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023.

Israel says around 1,200 people were killed in that attack and 250 were taken hostage. The same day, Israel began bombing Gaza. That was the beginning of a devastating military campaign against Hamas that has killed more than 46,500 Palestinians so far, according to Gaza's health ministry. The majority of those killed have been women and children.

Some 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting so far, and hostilities are expected to continue until the ceasefire takes effect. The United States played a key role in brokering the deal. President Biden announced the agreement in a speech, saying he was confident it would hold. The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced.

In a few minutes, we'll hear what the war has meant for Israelis, Palestinians and the Middle East region. But first, Mary Louise Kelly spoke to NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv for details on the deal. It's going to be a multi-phase deal and it's going to start right after noon local time this Sunday.

The first phase of the deal is a six-week ceasefire, and it's going to allow for the staggered release of 33 of the remaining 98 Israeli hostages in Gaza. They'll be exchanged for around 1,000 Palestinian detainees over time during those six weeks. That phase will also allow for more entry of much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. The details of the mechanics of that haven't really been made public yet, but much of it will be coming in through the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza from Egypt.

The Israeli military will also begin to withdraw from Gaza, basically out from the inner parts towards the perimeter, but not withdraw fully during that first phase. During that first six-week period, negotiations will start for the next phase of the deal. The idea is that more hostages will be released in further phases in exchange for more Palestinian detainees, while the Israeli military withdraws further until all hostages are released and the Israeli military has left Gaza.

Back to what we just heard President Biden saying, Kat, that this was one of the toughest negotiations he's ever been in. What has it taken to get here? This has been months and months in the making. I mean, you might remember that Biden announced the framework of this deal back in the end of May. And since then, there have been several rounds of negotiations in each time those negotiations have fallen apart. This current round has been in the works for weeks. It's been in Doha with Egypt

Qatar and the U.S. as mediators between Israel and Hamas. The Biden administration had a team there. And then last week, President-elect Trump sent representatives out there, too. Trump put out a lot of pressure on Israel to have this deal done by the time he comes into office next Monday. And even now, I'll just say, while we have confirmation that the deal is agreed on by almost all parties involved, Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. and Hamas, Israel is still saying that there are several, quote, unresolved issues in the agreement and that they hope to get those issues resolved tonight.

What is the reaction there in Tel Aviv tonight? It feels hopeful but hesitant. You know, this has been a tragic time for both Israelis and Palestinians. And there seems to be an understanding on both sides that a ceasefire is just the beginning of a long process of healing and rebuilding. Here in Tel Aviv, people gathered at what's become known as Hostage Square. It's a place for family members of hostages and former hostages and the public to demonstrate evidence.

And the mood there was subdued tonight. You know, people are cautious after seeing negotiations fall apart so many times before, and especially with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yet to announce that the deal is done here. Our team talked with 70-year-old Louis Haar there. He was a hostage actually held in Gaza for many months. And he told us he's happy about the deal, but... But I continue to believe that until I see them here, they don't exist yet.

He told us, until we see them, I won't believe it, referring to the hostages still in Gaza. Meanwhile, I'm curious what we are hearing from our colleagues in Gaza, our colleague Anas Baba, who's been reporting all through this war. What are you hearing from him today? Yeah.

Yeah, well, you know, this morning, Anas was out reporting on an Israeli airstrike in Dar al-Bala in central Gaza that happened overnight. It killed at least 11 Palestinians, including children. And he called me this morning saying that he was sad that he was out reporting on this and not a ceasefire, as he had hoped. After the deal was announced, I called Anas again, and he said people are, of course, talking about it, but there were no big celebrations there either. You know, there were several airstrikes just tonight, even after the deal was announced. People are hunkering down, thinking that the fighting might get worse before it gets better.

He said maybe Sunday, after the ceasefire hopefully goes into effect, maybe they'll celebrate then. That was reporting from NPR's Kat Lonsdorf. For more on what these last 15 months of war have meant for the Middle East, Mary Louise Kelly spoke to NPR's Greg Myrie. Step back and talk us through how much the Middle East has changed since this war broke out back in 2023.

Yeah, on that day, there was this fundamental regional dynamic that had been in place for many years. On one side, you have Israel backed by the U.S. On the other, you have Iran and its partners, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria. Yet in just the past few months, Iran and all its allies have suffered severe blows.

An Israeli offensive greatly weakened Hezbollah, which agreed to a ceasefire in late November. Just a couple weeks later, the Assad regime crumbled from rebels inside the country, and Hamas has been badly beaten. So Iran's strategy for decades was to use these Arab partners to undermine Israel. This strategy is now in tatters. Israel, with the U.S. backing, has proven itself a much more formidable military force than Iran and its allies.

This will reshape the region for years to come. Although, I suppose you could argue it the other way as well, that Israel has also suffered major damage to its reputation. I'm thinking of, what, more than 46,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza.

So that is absolutely true. And the damage extends far beyond the region and just anger in the Arab world. It includes many Western countries. And Israel needs these countries for political support, trade relations, and just to avoid international isolation. So Israel won't go back to its pre-war status easily or quickly. And a lot will depend on how the

Israelis address Palestinians. Will Israel work with the international community to rebuild Gaza, offer the Palestinians a way forward that could lead to a Palestinian state? Or will Israel keep squeezing the Palestinian with a wide range of punitive steps, which is what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done throughout his years in office? Hmm.

And let me circle us back to the Israel-Iran rivalry, which, as you noted, has driven so much of turmoil, so much turmoil in the region for generations. What should we expect there?

Yeah, this could go different ways. Iran's strategy of working with proxies has failed badly. Iran doesn't have the resources to support them as it did for many years. So Iran could drop that approach and pursue a more moderate course. Iran also has to think about the incoming Trump administration, which sought to impose what it called maximum pressure with sanctions against Iran last time. Iran may be forced to make compromises in exchange for sanctions relief. Now, of

course, this could go the other way and we could see a new round of confrontation. Iran could try to build a nuclear weapon, seeing that as its best defense. In just a sentence or two, Greg, what are you watching for as President Trump takes office? Well, he continues to be a staunch supporter of Israel, wants to pursue economic deals with wealthy Gulf countries. He's much less interested in the kind of messy conflicts we've been seeing, but he will have to deal with them in some form.

NPR's Greg Myrie reporting in Tel Aviv. Thanks, Greg. Sure thing, Mary Louise. That's the state of the world from NPR. For more coverage of this conflict and the latest developments, please come back to this feed. You can also go to npr.org slash Mideast updates. Thank you for listening.

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