can feel what we are and no one can feel what we are feeling right now. it is an indescribable feeling. in israel — families of the 94 hostages still being held gather in tel aviv knowing some will soon be released — it's not known how many are still alive. this man is one of the hostages — we are with his british daughter in london as she hears the news. it will be amazing to see the mothers hugging their children and the children hugging theirfathers. and we will know who we're grieving for. we'll speak to our internationl editorjeremy bowen injersusalem and our north america editor sarah smith in washington who will talk us through the ceasefire deal and what happens now in gaza after more than 15 months of fighting and tens of thousands of deaths. on newsnight at 10:30 tonight we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day with big interviews and our regular panel of newsnighters. and of course, look

at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. israel and hamas have finally agreed to a ceasefire deal after months of delicate negotiations. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has tonight thanked president biden and donald trump for helping secure the deal. with just days to go before he leaves office, president biden tonight gave details of the ceasefire which begins on sunday. phase one will last six weeks. it includes a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of israeli forces from all the populated areas of gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded. in exchange, israel will release hundreds of palestinian prisoners.

and during phase one, the palestinians can also return to their neighbourhoods in all the areas of gaza. so there are three phases to this deal. 33 hostages will be released during the first six weeks — among them two americans — and humanitarian aid will go in. phase two will be negotiations for a permanent end to the war. hostages and prisoners will continue to be released. once that's done, phase three will see all the rest of the hostages released, as well as the remains of those who have died. and finally, a permanent ceasefire agreed. our international editor jeremy bowen is injerusalem. a huge moment after so many months of brutal war. it has been a nightmare for everyone concerned, of course. among some of the terrible consequences of what has happened, the sense of dehumanisation, on both sides, a

feeling that because of everything that hamas did on the 7th of october, how could they ever have peace with palestinians? and a feeling amongst many palestinians, how could they have peace with israelis after everything israel has done since the 7th of october? 2023. a ceasefire like this, obviously, is going to be fragile, and there are more negotiations ahead, and it is not going to be easy, and it might be difficult. i've spoken to senior western diplomats who feel that after the first phase, the 42 first phase, the war might even start again, but of course on a day like this, there has to be enormous relief on both sides. in the streets of khan younis in gaza, overwhelming relief that they are alive, and hope, too, that the nightmare of this war might be over. translation: when they announced

that there is a ceasefire, _ we felt happy and relieved. the pain has disappeared a bit, even though the pain is still present. but hopefully joy will overcome the pain. let our prisoners get freed and for the injured to get treated. people are exhausted. some weapons, some defiance were on show, but hamas is a shadow of what it was when it attacked israel on the 7th of october, 2023. and apart from survival, there isn't much to celebrate for palestinians in gaza. israel has killed almost 50,000 people at least. the territories are in ruins and well over 2 million have been forced out of their homes. and in tel aviv, it is also a bittersweet moment for the families and supporters of israeli hostages, living and dead. 33 women, older men and the sick and wounded are due for release in the next six weeks in return for hundreds of palestinian detainees and prisoners. but the future of the rest

of the hostages depends on more negotiations. we really hope that no one will mess it up. not in our side, not in their side. and we really wait for this very, very needed thing to happen — for the war to stop, for the hostages to come home. israel's president said the ceasefire was right, important and necessary. translation: there is no greater moral, human, - jewish or israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us, whether to recover at home or to be laid to rest. the war started on the 7th of october, 2023, with a devastating series of surprise attacks by hamas. it was one of the worst intelligence and security failures in israel's history. a painful inquiry into who missed the signs it was coming, starting with the prime minister, lies ahead. 251 people were taken

into gaza as hostages. hamas killed around 1,200, mostly israeli civilians, in their own homes. it took days to recover the bodies. israel responded by hammering gaza and its people, from then until today. it insists it respects the laws of war. it says hamas caused so many civilian casualties, wounded and dead, by using them as human shields. but israel's prime minister and former defence minister face arrest warrants for war crimes, and the international court ofjustice is investigating a case accusing israel of genocide. in washington, president biden took credit for a diplomatic victory, celebrated america's support for israel, and said the war had transformed the middle east for the better. this has been a time of real turmoil in the middle east, but as i prepare to leave office, our friends are strong,

our enemies are weak, and there is a genuine opportunity for a new future. in lebanon, there is an opportunity for a future free from the grip of hezbollah. in syria, a future free from the tyranny of assad. and for the palestinian people, a credible pathway to a state of their own. thank you. who gets credit for this, mr president. _ thank you. who gets credit for this, mr president, you _ thank you. who gets credit for this, mr president, you are _ thank you. who gets credit for this, mr president, you are donald - thank you. who gets credit for this, i mr president, you are donald trump? is that _ mr president, you are donald trump? is that a _ mr president, you are donald trump? is that a joke? — mr president, you are donald trump? is that a joke? but— mr president, you are donald trump? is that a joke?— is that a joke? but donald trump's ressure is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure on _ is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure on israel _ is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure on israel as _ is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure on israel as well - is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure on israel as well as - is that a joke? but donald trump'sl pressure on israel as well as hamas to seal the deal before his return to seal the deal before his return to the white house next week might have made a decisive difference. joe biden put the pan on the table last may. with guards in ruins, the point from the president that the palestinians have a path to their own state is wishful thinking. the israeli government says security depends on military power, not allowing palestinian independence. after 15 months of war in gaza, the

conflict which has lasted more than a century is as bitter and intractable as ever. with luck, the ceasefire will end this war, but it does not end the conflict. consequences of so much destruction and death will be felt for a generation at least. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. the ceasefire begins on sunday — the day before the inauguration of donald trump. in fact, he was the first to speak publicly about the deal before it had been confirmed by qatar's prime minister, saying the hostages would be released soon. our north america editor sarah smith is in washington. we've heard president biden outlining the deal tonight. how important is the timing of all this? the timing is critical because it is coming just beforejoe biden leaves office and donald trump returns to the white house. it is because it is coming at this critical time that it is interesting to note thatjoe biden says that his team of

negotiators and diplomats who have been so deeply involved in these talks have been working closely and coordinating with donald trump's middle east envoy and his team so they are across the details and they all know what is happening because nobody wants this handover of power in america to derail the implementation of this agreement. and it is because donald trump and his team were being kept so closely involved with what is going on that he was able to post on his social media channel that a deal had been done before it was officially announced, and he wrote that this epic ceasefire agreement would not have been possible if it hadn't been for his election victory in november. is that true? people close to the negotiations say that his vague threats when he said that all hell would break loose if the hostages were not released before he returned to office, that they did put some pressure on the parties in the region to come to an agreement now, and therefore it was helpful, but you heard joe biden speaking from the white house, he does not

want to give any of the credit to donald trump and he was in that speech very much trying to cement his own place in this deal, saying it was his framework that he put forward last may and that he has been deeply involved in the talks and the negotiations that have been going on over months, and you heard him there, when he was asked if donald trump deserves any credit, he said, is this a joke? but the fact of the matter is, it will be donald trump and his team that oversee the implementation of this deal and that they move it into phase two and three and he has very different priorities in the middle east compared tojoe biden. priorities in the middle east compared to joe biden. thanks for “oininr compared to joe biden. thanks for joining us- — israel says that 94 hostages are still being held by hamas, but more than 30 are thought to be dead. tonight, as the news broke, familes hugged each other in tel aviv in what's become known as hostages square. our middle east correpsondent lucy willamson is there.

we have seen the square with protesters demanding the release of hostages, but tonight it is empty, a reminder of the caution many people feel here about this deal after so many disappointments and so many false starts, and the clock that has been counting the minutes and hours and days of captivity is still going, more than 466 now. but for many hostages and their families, they can finally glimpse an end to they can finally glimpse an end to the ordeal, while some others still cannot. after the public anger and the protests, in tel aviv tonight a private shared relief. too soon for celebrations. this deal too partial, too long coming to spark an explosion of joy. for 15 months, demonstrators

here demanded the hostages' release. the names of israel's missing repeated like a mantra. theirfaces papering israel's walls. among them, five—year—old ariel and one—year—old kfir bibas and their parents. it's like a roller—coaster. i'm not breathing right now. we don't know if they are on the list, if they are going to come back in the first phase. if they are alive. if not. we actually don't know anything, so... ..it�*s scary. all living civilian women and children are due to be released over the next six weeks, along with elderly men and the sick. for now, soldiers and younger men will remain behind. you know, it's part of them, not all of them, and for us, it's only the beginning. we want them all here, ok? because it's not ended, it's not enough ifjust some of them will come.

251 hostages were ta ken to gaza by hamas gunmen during the 7th of october attacks. partygoers at a music festival. families asleep in their homes. and soldiers like nimrod cohen, abducted with his tank unit near the nahal oz military base. he was 19—years—old. since then, his father, yehuda, has been campaigning for his release. he believes that nimrod, a young male soldier, will be one of the last to be freed. i'm done with emotion. that was the first month, the second month. i don't have time for emotion. i'm a fulljob in fighting. i can be the father of nimrod once nimrod is back here. now i am fighting to be the father of nimrod. i haven't talked to him for 15 months, seen him, heard him, ok? somewhere in the dark, i say to him,

i'm fighting to get back to being nimrod's father. yehuda watched as more than 100 hostages were freed in an earlier nine—day truce. that was over a year ago. since then, for many hostage families, hope has been frozen. now, for some, it is starting to thaw. lucy williamson, bbc news, tel aviv. the united nations said tonight humanitarian agencies have been mobilizing supplies to get aid delivery into gaza as quickly as possible and appealed for aid workers to be allowed safe, unfettered access to people desperately in need. almost 10,000 people have died in gaza since the outbreak of the war according to the health ministry run by hamas. bbc news has followed the stories of those struggling in a desperate humanitarian crisis. our special correspondent fergal keane reports now on gaza after more than a year of war. you may find some of the images distressing.

they are used to false rumours. hope has been a lost language in this war. but tonight, perhaps an end... to fear... exhaustion... degradation. they have suffered while the talk has gone on and on. mahmoud and his family have evacuated nine times. his children scavenge for anything that could be sold to buy food. and they suffer for it. skin diseases, hepatitis. "the smell is suffocating", he says, "and the dogs are everywhere.

there is nowhere to go to the bathroom, so at night my family and i went together to relieve ourselves, only to be attacked by dogs that tried to bite us." they lived here before the war. jabalia. bombed now into an age of stone. the consequences of the war stretch the length of gaza and into every life in one way or another. hana, aged 15, was born with a severe brain disability. but before the war, there were working hospitals and days and nights without terror. translation: she was the flower of our neighbourhood. _ she used to walk, play, and was just like any other child. three months into the war, hana

became ill with cancer of the eye. now in constant agony, she can no longer see. with the ceasefire, her mother hopes israel will allow hana's evacuation from gaza. translation: | feel - like i am losing my mind. i am so worried about her and ifeel so bad for her. i want to do whatever i can to help her and i don't want to be helpless. ourjournalists have recorded the stories of gaza on the ground since the war began. like the two sisters reunited in an emergency ward after their home was hit in an israeli airstrike. "my sister, my beloved," said juri, aged five. "this is my sister," she tells the nurses. her sister is 18 months old. there was newborn baby sabreen, rescued from her dead mother's womb

after another airstrike. "the baby is under medical care," said dr mohamed salama. "she'll stay here three or four weeks." she lived only five days. nora al—najar and her children. just after the israeli strike that took her husband, theirfather, abdulrahman, one of more than 70 people killed in an operation to rescue two hostages. his daughter malak lost an eye in the attack. "pain," she says. "i lost my father. enough." nora was pregnant at the time and now has the couple's baby, rahma. the cease fire is welcome, but it's not the end of suffering. translation: "after the cease fire, i want to give my - children the best life. i want them to get over the fear we lived.

my children are really scared. the terror has settled in their hearts. the scale of rebuilding ahead is immense. of a lost world of broken lives. fergal keane, bbc news, amman. after more than 15 months of fighting — what is the current state of gaza? our verify correspondent nick eardley is here to tell us. thanks, sophie. israel launched its offensive in gaza after the hamas attacks on the 7th of october, where around 1,200 people were killed. 251 others were taken hostage. but the impact of 15 months of war in gaza has been huge. whole neighbourhoods have been flattened by israeli strikes during the conflict. let s talk firstly about the human cost of the war in gaza. this is the death toll provided by the hamas—run health ministry in gaza — 46,707 people killed. ministry officials also say this number of people have been injured — more than 110,000.

israel says it has killed 17,000 fighters and that hamas s figures can t be trusted. but the death toll is high and some think this figure is an underestimate. let me show you a bit more about the amount of damage that s been done in gaza. this picture is jabalia in the north of the strip before the war. this is a verified image of the same scene now — you can see almost everything here has been destroyed. this map shows an estimate of how damage in gaza has progressed over time. you can see all these red dots showing damaged or destroyed buildings. the academic experts who have been compiling this data said that as of october, just under 60% of all buildings in gaza had been damaged or destroyed. the war has also had a considerable impact on the movement of people. the un estimates 90% of gazans have been internally displaced. that s 1.9 million people.

huge numbers of gazans have been subject to israeli evacuation orders in the last 15 months — look at all the evacuation zones here in red. finally, a few figures highlighting the humanitarian challenge. the un projects that 91% of people are facing acute food insecurity. almost 1.9 million people are in need of emergency shelter and just 50% of hospitals are still partially functioning. journalists don't have free access to gaza, so building a complete picture is difficult. but there are some considerable challenges now that the ceasefire has been agreed. and alex forsyth will have more on the ceasefire on newsnight on bbc two shortly. yes, tonight to powerful interviews on the sea swell dear. a palestinian who hopes to rebuild his life and the family of one of the israeli

hostages. six months after the election, which party leader is getting it right, if any? that's newsnight at half past ten on bbc two, bbc news and iplayer. in other news, there was a surprise fall in inflation last month — the first drop in three months. the figures ease some of the market pressure on the chancellor, as long term government borrowing rates fell back sharply today. the office for national statistics says the rate at which prices were rising was 2.5%, which is down from 2.6% the month in november. it could make a cut in interest rates next month more likely. here's our economcs editor, faisal islam. at ennio's hotel and restaurant on the southampton quayside, inflation may well have stabilised, but they're still feeling the cost squeeze. last year was a good year. it was — it was as expected, as expected. but pressures, including from the budget, loom over this industry. we need to increase our menu prices. but how far do you increase that?

for example, we'rejust, we were talking today about a valentine's, a valentine's event. and, you know, we're looking at the price of a menu for last year and the offering, and we think, well, we can't do that any less than £10 more than we did last year because that's what we have to do. £10 per head? yeah. because that's the cost. yeah. it was falls in hotel prices that actually helped drive down the headline rate of inflation a bit. how employers likejohnnie respond to the rise in national insurance raising prices or limiting wage rises will matter for where inflation goes now. while the main rate of inflation dipped to 2.5%, the actual positive news today came from significant falls in underlying measures of inflation, such as the service sector and core inflation, now at a four year low. this suggests there's less inflation in the system. this was seen in a sharp fall in the effective borrowing costs for the uk government after the inflation figures

here this morning, and then again with better than expected us inflation figures this afternoon. the fact that we've seen a drop in inflation, particularly in services inflation, will encourage the bank of england to cut interest rates next month, i think. borrowing costs remain elevated, however, and were the centre of exchanges between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. his budget means fewerjobs, lower growth and higher borrowing costs. mr speaker, as she knows, the global economy is experiencing volatility and higher borrowing costs. back at southampton port, global and domestic currents are still expected to push up inflation a bit in the coming months. while nobody expects a repeat of the giant inflationary shock we saw a couple of years ago, the donald trump impact on the global trading system has clearly unsettled global markets for now, leading to a focus on countries on economies perceived to be vulnerable from slow

growth, countries like the united kingdom, and while we await precisely what donald trump is to do with the global trading system, these uncertainties will remain. so some safe harbour for the uk in today's figures. but out on the open seas, conditions remain turbulent. faisal islam, bbc news in southampton. three people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 14—year—old boy on a bus in south east london. kelyan bokassa was stabbed to death in woolwich last week. two boys, aged fifteen and sixteen, are being questioned on suspicion of murder. a 44—year—old woman is also being held on suspicion of assisting an offender. irish pop singer linda nolan has died. she was 65 and had endured a long battle with cancer. as a member of the girl group, the nolans, she and her sisters rose to fame with hits such as i'm in the mood for dancing. her agent said she died in hospital, "with her loving siblings by her bedside."

we're going back to our main story in a moment — the ceasefire in gaza that begins on sunday. it's no coincidence that that will be the day before the inauguration of donald trump. you can watch him being sworn in on monday here on the bbc. donald trump returns to the white house. what will the next chapter bring? join us live on the bbc, as he's inaugurated for a second term. make america great again! watch on bbc news and iplayerfrom midday, and from 3:30pm on bbc one. tonight, sir keir starmer welcomed the ceasefire deal as "long—overdue news" and paid tribute to the british people who were murdered by hamas. for british families, uncertainty still lingers over the fate of their loved ones who are being held hostage in gaza. it's not clear whether any of them are still alive. our special correspondent lucy manning was with one woman, whose father is still a hostage,

when the agreement was announced earlier today. when the moment finally came, sharone lifschitz in east london allowed herself to finally hope. i don't know what to say, lucy, i feel so overwhelmed. i think i'lljust sit alone and cry for a minute. hope that she might at last see her father, 84—year—old oded, again. i'd just like a bit of sanity. and may this be the start of something a bit better because it's hell. it's hell for the people of my community. it's hell for the people of gaza. so how does it feel that this deal looks like it's happening? it will be amazing to see the mothers hugging their children and the children hugging theirfathers. and we will know who we are grieving for and whose future we are fighting for. there will be some really, really

traumatised people coming back to their loved ones and they should trust us that we will look after them and do what it takes to make them see light again. her mother yocheved was taken hostage in october but released later that month. her father was alive in gaza, but now theyjust don't know. i know that the chances of my dad are very slim. he was an elderly man, but miracles do happen. my mum did come back, and one way or another, we will know if he is still with us, if we can look after him, or if he is returned to us to bury us we will know. the family of emily damari, a british israeli, have campaigned

relentlessly for her release and will be desperately hoping the spurs fan is among the first groups of hostages to be freed. her mum mandy, told the bbc last month how she worries every second for her daughter. eli sharab�*s british wife lianne, their children noiya and yahel were murdered on october the 7th. eli is on the list to be released but his family don't know what to expect. we still don't know whether he's alive or dead. added into that is that we don't know whether eli knows that the entire life that he built and left behind is no longer there. we have no idea whether my sister and my two nieces were murdered in front of him, as we know many were, or whether he was taken away before they were killed. a deal agreed, but families still without any certainty. lucy manning, bbc news. let's go back tojeremy bowen injerusalem. how much confidence is there

that his ceasefire can hold? all ceasefires when they start in terrible wars start often in a fragile way. the question is how much will there is for it to get through that stage. there will be a coordination centre in cairo where qatar, egypt and the united states will be represented and they will try to assess the state of the ceasefire, stop it falling apart. a previous truce back more than a year ago, when there was an earlier big release of hostages, that fell apart after about a week. this one, the first big stage is to get through the first 42 day face when 33 hostages and hundreds of palestinians will be freed, that is the plan. it is not going to be

easy.