End of War: Agreement reached; Celebration on streets of Tel Aviv and Gaza; USA confirmed, Netanyahu didn't

An announcement is expected in the coming hours, an Arab official told the newspaper.

A US official also told Axios that an agreement had been reached on the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

On the other hand, an Israeli official said that the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas hit a last-minute hurdle, delaying the expected announcement of the agreement.

The official said Hamas raised objections to the agreed arrangements for the Philadelphia Corridor - a strategic strip of land along Gaza's border with Egypt, the Associated Press reported.

Hamas' demands contradict maps approved by the Israeli government during the negotiations, The Times of Israel reported, citing an unnamed "senior (Israeli) political source."

"Israel strongly rejects any change to these maps," the official said, according to the AP agency.

Hamas said its delegation had submitted approval of the proposed cease-fire agreement to mediators in Qatar and Egypt.

A Hamas official said the group's leader, Khalil al-Haya, had submitted approval for the ceasefire deal to mediators in Doha, Al Jazeera Arabic and Sky News reported.

The BBC also reports that a Hamas official told Qatari and Egyptian mediators that Hamas had approved the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas spoke up

"Hamas approved the agreement and submitted its response to the mediators," senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told CNN.

In a separate statement, the group said it had consulted with allied militant groups on the proposed agreement.

"The Movement considered this issue with full responsibility and positivity, guided by the duty to our steadfast and resilient people in the Gaza Strip, to stop the Zionist aggression against them and end the massacres and genocide to which they are subjected," the statement added.

A ceasefire in three stages

Officials familiar with the alleged deal shared additional details with Reuters.

There appear to be three phases, the first of which will last six weeks. This phase involves the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.

The agreement stipulates that during the truce, 600 trucks with humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter Gaza every day, 300 of them will be destined for the north. Hamas will release the hostages for six weeks, three each week, while the rest will be released by the end of the first phase.

Netanyahu's office: Nothing has been agreed

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that no agreement had been reached.

The Prime Minister's Office said Hamas had "backed off" because of Netanyahu's "firm stance" on the latest demands regarding the deployment of forces in the Philadelphia corridor between Gaza and Egypt.

However, Netanyahu's office points out that there are still "several outstanding clauses" in the agreement that need to be resolved - but the prime minister hopes the details will be finalized in the coming hours.

Trump: The deal was made thanks to my historic victory

Newly elected US President Donald Trump took credit for the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in another post on the "Truth Social" platform. Describing the deal as "epic," Trump said the deal could only have been reached because of his "historic" election victory, as it "signaled to the whole world that my administration will seek peace and negotiate agreements to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies".

He pledged that his national security team and his Middle East envoy pick, Steve Witkoff, would continue to "work closely with Israel and our allies to ensure that Gaza NEVER again becomes a haven for terrorists."

"We will continue to promote peace through strength throughout the region as we build on the momentum of this cease-fire to further expand the historic Abraham Accords. This is just the beginning of great things to come for America and, indeed, the world! So much has been accomplished, and yet we are not even in the White House. "Just imagine all the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House and my administration is fully confirmed to secure even more victories for the United States of America," Trump wrote.

Biden confirmed: Agreement agreed

US President Joseph Biden officially announced today that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a truce and the release of hostages that will end the conflict in Gaza and increase humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.

"Today, after months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire and hostages," Biden said in a statement.

This agreement, as he pointed out, will stop the fighting in Gaza, increase much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and reunite hostages with their families after more than 15 months of captivity, reports Reuters.

"Soon the hostages will return to their families," he said. The agreement includes a full ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.

In return, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners, Biden added.