Significant progress was made on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal once the administrations of Joe Biden and Donald Trump began working hand in hand to make the case for urgency, outgoing U.S.

The deal, mediated by the United States, offered a glimmer of hope in a conflict that has taken an immense human toll.

US President Joe Biden hailed "many months of intensive diplomacy" for bringing about a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, as he outlined the next steps of the deal to end 15 months of war.

The deal will take place in three different phases, each of which will last for six weeks, according to U.S. and Qatari officials.

Months of tedious talks over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza – negotiations that required officials from an outgoing and incoming presidential administration to put aside their fundamental differences – culminated in an intense late-night push for an agreement that finally came to fruition on Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump was quick to take credit for the cease-fire struck Wednesday between Israel and Hamas — and progressive critics of the Biden administration’s approach to the conflict were quick to give it to him.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks after negotiators reached a phased deal for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, during remarks at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.

Israel and Hamas have reached a deal on Gaza and the release of the hostages. President Biden says of the Gaza ceasefire: “The elements of this deal were what I laid out in detail.”