New Delhi, January 13, 2025 – Mediators have presented Israel and Hamas with a final draft of a hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal, following a breakthrough in negotiations attended by envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The final draft was given to the parties on January 13, an official briefed on the negotiations reported.
The negotiations come after Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which 251 Israeli and foreign hostages were taken. Israeli authorities report that ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, including Israelis and foreigners, civilians and soldiers, men, women, two children, and elderly individuals. Around half of these hostages are believed to be alive, with four, including two deceased soldiers, having been held since 2014.
Key Moments in the Hostage Crisis
2023
- October 7: Hamas-led gunmen storm southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.
- October 20: Hamas releases two Israeli-American hostages.
- October 23: Hamas releases two elderly Israeli hostages.
- October 30: Israeli forces rescue an Israeli soldier kidnapped on October 7.
- November 21: Israel and Hamas announce a seven-day truce to exchange hostages and allow more aid into Gaza. Around half the hostages are released in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners, before the war resumes on December 1.
- December 15: Israeli forces mistakenly kill three Israeli hostages in Gaza, prompting strong criticism within Israel.
2024
- February 12: The Israeli military frees two hostages during a raid in Gaza’s southern Rafah neighborhood.
- June 8: Israeli forces rescue four hostages held by Hamas in Nuseirat, Gaza.
- August 27: Israeli special forces recover an Israeli hostage from a tunnel in southern Gaza.
- August 31: Israel discovers the bodies of six slain hostages in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza, sparking mass protests in Israel.
- December 2: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warns of “hell to pay” if hostages in Gaza are not released before his January 20 inauguration.
2025
- January 8: The Israeli military finds the body of Youssef Ziyadne, an Israeli Bedouin taken hostage on October 7, 2023, and later confirms the body of his son Hamza was found alongside him.
- January 9: US and Arab mediators make progress in ceasefire talks, but not enough to seal a deal, according to Palestinian sources close to the talks in Qatar.
As the world watches closely, the final draft presented by mediators offers a potential path to peace and the release of the remaining hostages, providing hope for a resolution to the ongoing conflict.