The Times of Israel reported that an agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas

Israel and the Palestinian radical movement Hamas have reached agreements in principle in a deal on Gaza and hostage exchange. This was reported on January 15 by the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel, citing a source.

"Israel and Hamas agreed in principle on the hostage deal on Monday (January 13. - Ed.) and since then have been working in Doha to finalize the details of the agreement's implementation," the newspaper said.

It is specified that the final decision of the issue has not been announced yet. The parties need to discuss the parameters of the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the exact route of the soldiers.

According to the newspaper, the final agreements will be announced on January 15 or 16 in the form of a joint statement by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.

The day before, January 14, the Associated Press reported on the agreement of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas with the terms of the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. It is noted that Israel is still clarifying the final details of the agreement, and the final approval of the deal on the Israeli side will have to give the Cabinet.

Earlier, January 13, U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden pointed out that the circumstances in the Middle East have changed significantly after the truce agreements in Lebanon and the loss of power of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Axios portal also reported that US President-elect Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East Steve Whitkoff met with Netanyahu on January 11 and conveyed to him that Trump wants to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza in time for his inauguration scheduled for January 20.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.