A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighbourhood, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, on October 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Charleston:

President Joe Biden on Sunday welcomed the ceasefire taking hold between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, saying the “region has been fundamentally transformed.”

“After so much pain, death and loss of life, today the guns in Gaza have gone silent,” the outgoing president said, just hours after the ceasefire took effect.

Biden was speaking during a visit to South Carolina on the last full day of his presidency, with Donald Trump set to succeed him — and to inherit the complex task of helping shepherd the initial ceasefire to a more lasting peace.

Defending his determined support for Israel against criticism that it could have drawn the US into a wider war, Biden said he had considered that possibility.

“But I concluded abandoning the course I was on would not have led us to the ceasefire we’re seeing today. But instead, it would have risked the wider war in the region that so many feared.

“Now the region has been fundamentally transformed.”

Expounding on that, Biden said Hamas’s top leaders had been killed and its “sponsors in the Middle East have been badly weakened by Israel, backed by the United States.

“Hezbollah, one of Hamas’s biggest backers, was significantly weakened on the battlefield, and its leadership was destroyed.”

He said Israel’s military campaign was “extremely successful,” leading Hamas’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon to abandon it, making way for Lebanon to install a new president and prime minister, “both of whom support a sovereign Lebanon.”

In addition, Biden said, “The Assad regime next door in Syria is gone, removing Iran’s ready access to Lebanon. Iran is in the weakest position in decades.”

The fighting in Gaza has preoccupied Biden’s administration since Hamas launched a surprise and bloody intrusion into Israel in October 2023.

In his comments he did not refer to the other main criticism of his administration’s support for Israel as many Americans, aghast at the soaring death count in the war, called during last year’s presidential election for him to rein the US ally in.

Biden’s aides have said the final terms of the ceasefire largely follow the outlines of the truce he proposed in May.

But President-elect Trump and his advisors say that only his tough talk and the involvement of his own aides alongside the Biden team helped finally quiet the guns in Gaza.

Biden on Sunday acknowledged the importance of the role played by Trump and his aides.

“Now it falls on the next administration to help them implement this deal,” he said.

“I was pleased to have our team speak as one voice in the final days. It was both necessary and effective and unprecedented.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The UN did not give details on where the shipments entered Gaza (File)

Cairo:

Thousands of Palestinians burst into the streets across Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Sunday, some in celebration, others to visit the graves of relatives, while many rushed back to their homes.

“I feel like at last I found some water to drink after getting lost in the desert for 15 months. I feel alive again,” Aya, a displaced woman from Gaza City, who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip for over a year, told Reuters via a chat app.

Armed Hamas fighters drove through the southern city of Khan Younis, with crowds cheering and chanting, despite an almost three hour delay in the implementation of the agreement, which follows 15 months of devastating conflict.

Hamas policemen, dressed in blue police uniform, deployed in some areas after months of trying to keep out of sight to avoid Israeli airstrikes.

People who had gathered to cheer the fighters chanted “Greetings to Al-Qassam Brigades.”

“All the resistance factions are staying in spite of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu,” one fighter told Reuters, referring to Hamas armed wing.

“This is a ceasefire, a full and comprehensive one God willing, and there will be no return to war in spite of him.”

The ceasefire deal took effect after a nearly three-hour delay, pausing a war that has brought seismic political change to the Middle East and giving hope to Gaza’s 2.3 million people, many of whom have been displaced several times.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said Israeli military strikes killed at least 13 people in attacks in attacks across the enclave during the delay. No more attacks were reported after it took effect at 11.15 a.m. (0915 GMT).

“We are now waiting for the day when we head back to our home in Gaza City,” Aya said. “Damaged or not, it doesn’t matter, the nightmare of death and starvation is over.”

Ahmed Abu Ayham, 40, displaced with his family from Gaza City and sheltering in Khan Younis, said the scene of destruction in his home city was “dreadful”, adding that while the ceasefire may have spared lives it was no time for celebrations.

“We are in pain, deep pain and it is time that we hug one another and cry,” Abu Ayham said via the same app.

The highly anticipated ceasefire deal could help usher in an end to the Gaza war, which began after Hamas, which controls the tiny coastal territory, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel’s response has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza-based health officials.

“The war ended, but life isn’t going to be better because of the destruction and the losses we suffered,” Aya said. “But at least there will be no more bloodshed of women and children, I hope.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Israel on Sunday (January 19, 2025) said a truce with Hamas began in Gaza at 0915 GMT, nearly three hours after initially scheduled, following a last-minute delay on the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During the delay, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed eight people.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire LIVE updates

A statement from Netanyahu’s office, issued less than an hour before the truce had been set to start at 8:30 am (0630 GMT), said he had “instructed the IDF (military) that the ceasefire… will not begin until Israel has received the list” of hostages to be freed.

Hamas attributed the delay to “technical reasons”, as well as the “complexities of the field situation and the continued bombing”, ultimately publishing at around 10:30 a.m. the names of three Israeli women to be released on Sunday.

Israel confirmed it had received the list and was “checking the details”, before confirming shortly afterwards that the truce would begin at 11:15 a.m. local time.

AFPTV live images from northeastern Gaza showed a plume of grey smoke about 30 minutes after the truce was earlier to take effect, and again around 30 minutes later.

The Israeli military confirmed it was continuing “to strike within the Gaza area” following Netanyahu’s directive.

Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said three people were killed in the north of the territory and five in Gaza City, with 25 wounded.

AFP images showed displaced Gazans streaming northwards from areas around Gaza City where they had been sheltering, some flashing the victory sign.

But others saw their plans to return home thwarted by the delay of the ceasefire.

“I was on my way home with my family when we heard the sound of bombing,” said Mohammed Baraka, 36.

“We can’t reach our house; the situation is dangerous. I don’t know what to do. I feel frustrated and devastated.”

The initial exchange was to see three Israeli hostages released from captivity in return for a first group of Palestinian prisoners.

A total of 33 hostages taken by militants during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce.

Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails.

The truce is intended to pave the way for an end to more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s attack, the deadliest in Israeli history.

It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.

In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu called the 42-day first phase a “temporary ceasefire” and said Israel had US support to return to war if necessary.

‘Playing with our emotions’

In Gaza City, shortly after the deal was initially meant to go into effect, people were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.

But as it became clear the hostilities were continuing, the joy gave way to desperation for some.

“I’m dying of despair,” said Maha Abed, a 27-year-old displaced from Rafah who had been waiting since dawn for her husband to pick her up and take her home. “He called to tell me we won’t be returning today. The drones are firing at civilians.”

“Enough playing with our emotions — we’re exhausted,” she added. “I don’t want to spend another night in this tent.”

In Deir al-Balah, an AFP journalist observed dozens of Palestinians gathered in front of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital seeking information about the unfolding events, particularly whether or not they would be able to return to their homes.

The Israeli army warned Gaza residents early Sunday not to approach its forces or Israeli territory.

“We urge you not to head towards the buffer zone or IDF forces for your safety,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Telegram.

“At this stage, heading towards the buffer zone or moving from south to north via Gaza Valley puts you at risk.”

At a rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv the night before, attendees were guarded ahead of the scheduled exchanges.

“I’m really stressed because I don’t know about the situation of Ofer, my cousin,” said Ifat Kaldron, whose cousin is among the hostages.

“I’m just going to be happy whenever I see the last hostage crossing the border.”

Long ordeal

Israel has prepared reception centres to provide medical treatment and counselling to the freed hostages before they return to their families after their long ordeal.

Israel’s justice ministry had previously said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed during the deal’s first phase, starting from 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday.

Egypt on Saturday said more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners would be freed in the initial phase.

Hundreds of trucks waited at the Gaza border, poised to enter from Egypt as soon as they get the all-clear to deliver desperately needed aid.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said 600 trucks a day would enter Gaza after the ceasefire takes effect, including 50 carrying fuel.

There has been only one previous truce in the war, lasting for one week in November 2023.

That ceasefire also saw the release of hostages held by militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Members of the Palestinian civil emergency service celebrate despite a delay in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas over the hostage list, in Gaza City, January 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Gaza’s civil defence rescuers said Israeli strikes killed eight people on Sunday (January 19, 2025) after Israel said a ceasefire in its war with Hamas was delayed at the last minute on orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office, issued less than an hour before the truce was set to start at 8:30 am (0630 GMT), said he had “instructed the IDF (military) that the ceasefire… will not begin until Israel has received the list” of hostages to be freed.

Hamas on ceasefire delay

Hamas, while “affirming its commitment” to the terms of the ceasefire, said: “The delay in providing the names of those to be released in the first batch is due to technical reasons,” later adding that the list would be given “at any moment.”

Follow more: Israel-Hamas ceasefire LIVE: Israeli forces attack Gaza after ceasefire deadline missed

The Israeli military confirmed shortly after 8:30 am that it was continuing “to strike within the Gaza area at this time” following Netanyahu’s directive.

AFPTV live images from northeastern Gaza showed a plume of grey smoke about 30 minutes after the truce was to take effect, and again around 30 minutes later.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said three people were killed in northern Gaza and five in Gaza City, with 25 wounded.

The initial exchange was to see three Israeli hostages released from captivity in return for a first group of Palestinian prisoners.

Hostages release

If the ceasefire goes ahead, a total of 33 hostages taken by militants during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce.

Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails.

The truce is intended to pave the way for an end to more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s 7 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history.

It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.

In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu said Israel had US support to return to war if necessary.

Calling the 42-day first phase a “temporary ceasefire”, he said: “If we are forced to resume the war, we will do so with force.”

‘War needed to end’

Even ahead of the truce, Gazans displaced by the war to other parts of the devastated territory were preparing to return home.

In Gaza City, shortly after the deal was initially expected to go into effect, they were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.

The Israeli army warned Gaza residents early Sunday not to approach its forces or Israeli territory.

“We urge you not to head towards the buffer zone or IDF forces for your safety,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Telegram.

“At this stage, heading towards the buffer zone or moving from south to north via Gaza Valley puts you at risk.”

Jerusalem residents said the deal had been a long time coming.

“Maybe this is the beginning of (the) end of suffering for both sides, hopefully,” said Beeri Yemeni, a university student, adding that “the war needed to end like a long, long time ago”.

Smoke rises after an explosion in northern Gaza, before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas goes into effect, as seen from Israel, January 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The deadline for the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip passed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release later on Sunday (January 19, 2025) in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.

The list had not been handed over when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 a.m. local time, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said. He said the army “continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena,” and would until Hamas complies with the agreement.

Hamas on ceasefire delay

Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.

An Israeli official said mediators have provided assurances that the list will be delivered and the deal is still expected to go forward, though the timing remains in question. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing efforts to resolve the matter.

Follow more: Israel-Hamas ceasefire LIVE: Netanyahu warns Gaza ceasefire will not begin without a list of hostages

Meanwhile, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

The planned ceasefire, agreed after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.

This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Palestinian residents returning to homes

Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early Sunday, even as tank shelling continued to the east, closer to the Israeli border, overnight. Families could be seen making their way back on foot, with their belongings loaded on donkey carts, residents said.

“The sound of shelling and explosions didn’t stop,” said Ahmed Matter, a Gaza City resident. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning to their homes. “People are impatient. They want this madness to end,” he said.

Israel’s Cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. The warring sides were under pressure from both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the U.S. presidential inauguration on Monday.

The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will now emerge.

Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died.

Some 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged. Rebuilding – if the ceasefire reaches its final phase – will take several years at least. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.

The deal, which came into force on Sunday, was reached in talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. If it holds, it would provide a desperately needed relief for Gaza, the tiny strip along the Mediterranean Sea which was relentlessly bombed by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) over the past 15 months in which over 46,000 Palestinians were killed and almost the entire population of the enclave displaced.

Read the full article,

Smoke rises inside the Gaza Strip, before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas goes into effect, as seen from southern Israel, January 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will go into effect on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT), mediator Qatar announced on Saturday (January 18, 2025), as families of hostages held in Gaza braced for news of loved ones, Palestinians prepared to receive freed detainees and humanitarian groups rushed to set up a surge of aid.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later warned that a ceasefire won’t go forward unless Israel receives the names of hostages to be released, as had been agreed. His statement came almost three hours after Israel had expected to receive the names, which Hamas was to give to mediator Qatar. There was no immediate response from Hamas or Qatar.

The overnight approval of the ceasefire deal by Israel’s Cabinet, in a rare meeting during the Jewish Sabbath, set off a flurry of activity and a fresh wave of emotions as relatives wondered whether hostages would be returned alive or dead.

The pause in 15 months of war is a step toward ending the deadliest, most destructive fighting ever between Israel and the Hamas militant group — and comes more than a year after the only other ceasefire achieved.

The first phase of the ceasefire will last 42 days, and negotiations on the far more difficult second phase are meant to begin just over two weeks in. After those six weeks, Israel’s security Cabinet will decide how to proceed.

Israeli airstrikes continued on Saturday, and Gaza’s Health Ministry said 23 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours.

“What is this truce that kills us hours before it begins?” asked Abdallah Al-Aqad, the brother of a woman killed by an airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis. Health officials said a couple and their two children, aged 2 and 7, were dead.

And sirens sounded across central and southern Israel, with the military saying it intercepted projectiles launched from Yemen. Iran-backed Houthi rebels there have stepped up attacks in recent weeks, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In a post on X, Qatar’s foreign minister advised Palestinians and others to exercise caution when the ceasefire goes into effect and wait for directions from officials.

“The first thing I will do is go and check my house,” said Mohamed Mahdi, a father of two who was displaced from Gaza City’s Zaytoun neighbourhood. He also looks forward to seeing family in southern Gaza, but is “still concerned that one of us could be martyred before we are able to meet”.

In the ceasefire’s first phase, 33 hostages in Gaza are set to be released over six weeks in exchange for 737 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel’s justice ministry has published a list of the prisoners, all younger or female.

According to the ceasefire plan approved by Israel’s Cabinet, the exchange will begin at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) Sunday. The plan says three living female hostages will be returned on Day 1, four on Day 7 and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks. During each exchange, Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel after hostages have arrived safely.

Also to be released are 1,167 Gaza residents who were not involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that sparked the war. All women and children under 19 from Gaza held by Israel will be freed during this phase.

All Palestinian prisoners who were convicted of deadly attacks will be exiled to Gaza or abroad — some for three years and others permanently — and barred from returning to Israel or the West Bank.

The remaining hostages in Gaza, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase to be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

Also during the ceasefire’s first phase, Israeli troops are to pull back into a buffer zone about a kilometer (0.6 miles) wide inside Gaza, along its borders with Israel.

That will allow many displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, including in Gaza City and largely isolated and devastated northern Gaza. With most of Gaza’s population sheltering in massive, squalid tent camps, Palestinians are desperate to get back to their homes, even though many were destroyed or heavily damaged.

Gaza should also see a surge in food, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid. Trucks were lined up Friday on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.

On Saturday, two Egyptian government ministers arrived in the northern Sinai Peninsula to oversee preparations for delivering aid through the Rafah crossing as well as the Kerem Shalom crossing, and to receive the evacuation of wounded patients, Egypt’s health ministry said.

The ceasefire plan approved by Israel’s Cabinet says all trucks entering Gaza will be subject to Israeli inspections.

The Hamas-led October 7 attack killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.

Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said on Friday (January 17, 2025) the Palestinian Authority was ready to assume “full responsibility” in post-war Gaza, in his first statement since a ceasefire deal was announced.

“The Palestinian government, under president Abbas’ directives, has completed all preparations to assume full responsibility in Gaza,” including the return of the displaced, providing basic services, crossings management and reconstruction of the war-torn territory, a presidency statement said.

While Hamas has exercised full control in Gaza since 2007, its rival the Palestinian Authority (PA), dominated by the Fatah movement, runs the West Bank.

Hamas, which won the last Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, indicated earlier in the war that it was not seeking to govern post-conflict Gaza.

Hamas sources have told AFP they would be ready to hand over Gaza’s civilian affairs to a Palestinian entity.

Currently, Israel has no definitive stance on post-war governance beyond rejecting any role for both Hamas and the PA.

Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly opposed Hamas or the PA ruling the Palestinian Territory, describing either scenario as “a reward” for the October 7, 2023, attack.

But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the PA should be the one to run the coastal territory.

Palestinian leaders across factions have long said that Gaza’s future is for them to decide, rejecting any outside interference.

The Israeli government has convened to vote on the Gaza deal, after the security cabinet approved it earlier on Friday.

Should the deal take effect, truce mediators the United States, Qatar and Egypt will monitor the ceasefire via a body based in Cairo, Qatar’s prime minister said.