First Phase of Ceasefire Could See Release of 33 Hostages

Israeli officials say 33 hostages—most of them still alive—could be released in the first stage of a proposed ceasefire deal with Hamas. Officials say the hostages would be released in the initial 42-day ceasefire as part of a deal being finalized by negotiators in Qatar, CNN reports. The Times of Israel reports that the first phase would involve the release of "humanitarian" hostages like children, the elderly, and women, including female soldiers. On the 16th day, negotiations would begin to free the remaining hostages.

Ceasefire talks have fallen through many times before, but momentum toward a deal appears to be building, the New York Times reports. President Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the plan on Sunday. In his capstone foreign policy address at the State Department on Monday, Biden said he had also spoken with the emir of Qatar and would soon speak to the president of Egypt, the other country mediating talks. Biden said the deal he proposed in May is "on the brink" of "finally coming to fruition."

"The deal we have structured would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started," Biden said, per the Times of Israel. Sources tell the AP that mediators from Qatar are pressuring Hamas to accept the deal, while Steve Witkoff, President-elect Trump's envoy, is putting pressure on the Israeli side. An Egyptian official says both sides are pushing for a deal before Trump's inauguration next week. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)