Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal to end the Gaza war, US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday, over 15 months after the October 7 attack by Iran-backed militants triggered the bloody conflict.
The Israel-Hamas deal outlines six-week initial ceasefire phase that includes gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and return of displaced Palestinians to north Gaza, Reuters reported citing an official briefed on the agreement.
US President Joe Biden hailed the deal in a White House speech, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The grueling war began when Gaza-based Palestinian militants' attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.
Israel's incursion into the enclave killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, and morphed into a region-wide confrontation between Iran-backed armed groups and Israel, which receives weapons and funding from the United States.
Iran finds itself on the backfoot as the confrontation winds down, with Israeli blows pounding Hezbollah into a ceasefire Lebanon, weakening Iran's ally Bashar al-Assad in the face of a rebel advance which toppled him, degrading Iran-backed Palestinian militants in Gaza and hitting Iranian military targets directly in October.
Only the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen appeared to fight on largely unscathed.
The agreement comes after months of negotiations facilitated by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with support from the United States and was reached just before the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff took part in the latest diplomacy and was present in a news conference in Doha convened on Wednesday by foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a main interlocutor between the warring sides.
The President-elect had repeatedly vowed that "all hell will break out" in the Middle East if Hamas did not agree to release the hostages by January 20.
But Biden appeared keen not to attribute the diplomatic breakthrough to his successor, responding to a shouted question by a journalist on who deserves credit for the deal, Biden or Trump: "Is that a joke?"
According to the deal, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in a first phase, including all women including soldiers and civilians, children and men over 50.
Israel, in turn, will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases. Israel will also release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained since October 7, 2023, by the end of phase one.
The total number of Palestinians released will depend on the hostages released and could range between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees, including men, women, and children.
Hamas will release hostages over a six-week period, with three hostages released every week, and the remainder before the end of the period, Reuters reported citing the official briefed
The release of hostages will begin with the living, followed by the remains of those who have died. Qatar, Egypt, and the US will guarantee the implementation of the agreement, Reuters reported.
Israeli forces entered Gaza following an October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants who breached security barriers and infiltrated Israeli communities, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians while taking over 250 hostages, both foreign and Israeli.
Israel's military actions in Gaza have resulted in over 46,000 deaths, according to Gaza health ministry data, leaving the coastal strip in ruins, with hundreds of thousands of survivors enduring harsh winter conditions in tents and temporary shelters.
Former politician Abolfazl Hassanbeigi, who is permitted to express his views in Iran's domestic media, also cautioned the country's officials that Iran is likely to face two challenging years ahead.
In the interview with the conservative Nameh News site, Hassanbeigi suggested that with proper management, the situation could improve -- ultimately bringing the region in line with Iran’s interests.
In its analysis, Nameh News noted that recent developments in the region have led many to believe that Tehran's influence has been weakened.
The diminishing influence of Hamas and Hezbollah, coupled with the fall of Assad in Syria, and the rise of Joseph Aoun—viewed as a candidate favored by both the US and Saudi Arabia—as Lebanon's president, has led many analysts to conclude that the dominance of Iranian-backed forces in the region might be drawing to a close.
Several Iranian observers, including imprisoned government critic Mostafa Tajzadeh, have argued that the fall of Assad, along with Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and Hamas, signals the collapse of what Iran refers to as the "axis of resistance," a term Tehran uses to describe its network of allies and proxies in the region. These observers view this as a strategic defeat for the Islamic Republic, attributing Iran’s growing isolation and economic difficulties to Supreme Leader Khamenei’s commitment to the "axis."
Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, said last week that the election of Aoun, who has not been Hezbollah's candidate, does not represent a defeat for Iran.
Other reports suggest that the Houthis in Yemen remain the sole remnants of the so-called axis of resistance.
Nameh News dismissed the idea of the "axis of resistance" ending as a delusional, suggesting that over time, the prevailing perception might shift towards viewing the region as increasingly aligned with the US.
However, the outlet also noted that some analysts believe the "axis" has experienced similar fluctuations in the past but has ultimately been revitalized, continuing to influence regional developments.
The website also pointed out that "none of the two views reflect the whole truth. In fact, both of them reflect what the analysts like to happen. West Asia has always been giving birth to new developments that disrupted previous equilibriums. However, the main question is that where will Iran be standing and what role Tehran is likely to play in the region."
Hassanbeigi told Nameh News that Iran's regional strength depends on resolving its internal disputes, asserting that the country is powerful enough to deter opposition if united.
He criticized radicals in Iran's political landscape, particularly in the parliament, for undermining the presidential administration through psychological warfare and efforts to tarnish its image.
"The radicals think of themselves as a new political force and that they can do anything they want even if their behavior harms the country's national interests," Hassanbeigi argued.
Addressing tensions with the US, Hassanbeigi remarked that despite Netanyahu's efforts, Washington does not appear to view a war with Iran as being in its best interest.
He acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating, "We face a couple of difficult years, but if we navigate this period effectively, the regional dynamics will shift."
He claimed that American policies often create adversaries wherever they intervene, as their excessive demands alienate others in the region.
