After 14 months of talks, Trump’s threats and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, played a major role in helping Biden officials reach the finish line.

A ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is set to come into effect on Sunday morning (Jan 19) with a hostage release to follow hours later, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are claiming credit for the Gaza deal. But it was the incoming US president who gave Israel the ultimatum of signing on or getting alienated. It worked.

This will pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants in the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

President Joe Biden confused Palestinian militant group Hamas with Hezbollah while announcing a ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday. Hamas and Hezbollah are both Iran-backed militant groups that have been involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal which was and will go into effect at 6.30am GMT on Sunday. Qassem added: "This deal, which was unchanged from what was proposed in May 2024,

The Biden administration called for a final push before the president leaves office, with many seeing the Trump inauguration as an unofficial deadline.

The agreement is set to halt a 15-month-old war between Israel and Hamas that has decimated the Strip, killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis, and destabilised the Middle East.

Israel's cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday, a day before the agreement's scheduled start.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, expected to begin its first phase Sunday, has brought relief to the international community but questions about whether the truce will hold — an issue that

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday. The ceasefire will pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release