For 466 excruciating days, 98 hostages have languished in Hamas captivity under brutal conditions. Today, after 15 months of war ignited by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, a second hostage deal has emerged. (The first was in November 2023.) Qatar’s Prime Minister announced the ceasefire will begin on Sunday—one day before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Already, the internet is doing what the internet does best, taking a vital humanitarian crisis and making it all about their political interests. Trumpers are claiming it was all Trump, (he’s not even in office yet), while Resistance Dems are completely claiming it was all Biden, dismissing Trump had anything to do with it.
In reality, it was the combination of the two.
What you need to know:
This deal is a joint effort by Biden’s outgoing administration and Trump’s incoming one, with Qatar and Egypt mediating.
The terms largely mirror a framework Biden proposed in May 2024, with Trump’s team pushing the deal over the line.
Trump’s team, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, met daily with negotiators in Qatar and Israel, including key meetings with Netanyahu.
And of course, Trump’s chaotic, trademark bluster likely added urgency, warning Hamas that, “all hell will break loose” if hostages weren’t released before his inauguration.
See below for *some* of the replies to my Threads post crediting Biden and incoming Trump administrations for “making progress on the hostage crisis.” Cue the yikes.
As Yair Rosenberg aptly wrote in The Atlantic, “Hamas could reasonably surmise that it would not get a better deal during Trump’s presidency, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government likely acceded to the arrangement in order to stay in the new leader’s good graces as he assumed office.”
Details of the Deal
Pending Status:
Netanyahu has delayed cabinet vote on ceasefire deal and hostage release, accusing Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement. His office said the cabinet would not convene until Hamas accepted all elements of the deal.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has withheld public comment until finalization.
Phase 1 (First Six Weeks)
Ceasefire begins Sunday, January 19 if deal is approved.
Israel will withdraw from much of the Gaza enclave and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including convicted mass murderers.
Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages—23 of whom are alive.
Palestinians will be allowed to return to their neighborhoods in Gaza, and humanitarian aid will begin flowing into the region.
Phase 2: (Negotiations for Permanent Resolution)
Negotiations Start Day 16: Talks focus on the release of remaining Israeli hostages and a permanent end to the war.
Extended Ceasefire: If talks go beyond six weeks, the ceasefire remains in place.
Phase 3: (Resolution and Reconstruction)
Any remains of hostages killed in captivity will be returned to their families.
A large-scale reconstruction plan for Gaza will be implemented.
Over the next several days of talks, I will be thinking about Shelly Shem-Tov, whose son Omer, 22, was abducted from the Nova Music Festival. I met Shelly in January 2024 at Hostage HQ in Tel Aviv. Her story was raw and devastating, the kind of pain you can’t unhear. If you want to understand the true cost of this war, you can hear her story, which I filmed and shared with her permission, on Instagram.
When you strip away the politics and endless online noise, you’re left with families like Shelly’s—waiting and holding onto hope with everything they’ve got.
The survivors of October 7 and their families have endured the unimaginable for 15 months. They deserve more than empty promises. Finally, at last, there may be some literal light at the end of the tunnel coming.