and there's relief in israel, as a timeline for the release of hostages is announced in exchange for a prisoner swap for palestinians in israeli jails. israel and hamas have finally agreed to a ceasefire deal which will come into effect on sunday. a permanent end to fighting will be negotiated if the first phase of the deal is successful. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has tonight thanked president biden and donald trump for helping secure the deal. on october the 7th, 2023 hamas fighters stormed israeli communities — killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 people captive. since then, the hamas—run health ministry in gaza says

46,707 palestinians have been killed, and more than 110,000 people injured. displaced palestinians in gaza have been celebrating the idea of returning home — or to where their homes once stood. in israel, families of those taken hostage expressed relief their loves ones could be returned. since the agreement was announced, the authoritites in gaza say at least 20 people have been killed in israeli strikes. phase one of the deal will begin on sunday. during a six—week initial ceasefire, hamas will release 33 israeli hostages made up of women, children and the elderly. some palestinians held in israeli prisons will be freed in return. israeli troops will partially withdraw from gaza, and some displaced palestinians sheltering in southern gaza will be allowed to return to the north. humanitarian aid trucks will be allowed in to deliver relief. negotiations for the second phase will begin 16 days into the deal, but should see

the remaining hostages released, a full israeli troop withdrawal, and a "sustainable calm". the final phase would see the beginning of gaza's reconstruction — and the return of remaining hostages�* bodies. president biden praised the agreement, saying it brought 15 months of terror and suffering to an end. he first proposed the framework for the deal last may. here's some of what he had to say. the palestinian people have gone through hell. too many innocent people have died. too many communities have been destroyed. in this deal the people of gaza can finally recover and rebuild. they can look to a future without hamas and power. the bible says, blessed are the peacemakers. many peacemakers helped make this deal happen including an extraordinary team of american

diplomats who have worked nonstop for months to get this done. i also know this deal was developed and negotiated under my negotiation but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration. these past few days, we have been speaking as one team. this has been a time of real turmoil in the middle east, but as i prepare to leave office, ourfriends are 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 has bella. in syria free from the tyranny of assad. and for the palestinian people, and incredible pathway to a state of their own. —— has for more on what this means for president biden — here's our state department correspondent tom bateman. this is the moment thatjoe biden had desperately sought to get to after the horrors of the

last 15 months and what has been the most brutally divisive issue of his foreign policy. it has taken eight months to reach this point after he announced the framework of this agreement and the nuts and bolts of this may have been negotiated over, but the fundamentals have not really changed much in all of that time. today he paid tribute to those that had done the work to get to this point, he expressed his relief and deep satisfaction, he said that now hostages would begin to be released and that palestinians in gaza who he described as having gone through hell would start to see a cease—fire. but much of what he had said today was about trying to submit his own role and that of his administration in reaching this agreement. —— cements. that said, he is acutely aware of the fact that donald trump has

been trying to take the credit for this and even announce the agreement even before the white house did. the the reality is somewhat more nuanced. there has been a lot of coordination in the last days and weeks this between the outgoing biden administration and the trump transition team including trump's and voice steve would cost who has been there and in close contact with president biden�*s envoy in the region. the reality is in five days�* time, the biden administration hands over the policing of this and try to guarantee the cease—fire to the trump administration. that will include the critical work of trying to get to phase two of this agreement. there is a crucial point, a full end of the word full withdrawal from gaza and the release of the rest of the hostages in exchange for palestinian prisoners. so the biden administration having reached this point knows it is about to hand over all the rest the work

to team trump. since the outbreak of the war, bbc news has followed the stories of people in gaza struggling in that 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. womb after another airstrike. "the baby is under medical "the baby is under medical care," said dr mohamed salama. care," said dr mohamed salama. "she'll stay here "she'll stay here three or four weeks." three or four weeks." she lived only five days. she lived only five days. nora al—najar and her children. nora al—najar and her children. just after the israeli strike just after the israeli strike that took her husband, that took her husband, theirfather, abdulrahman, theirfather, abdulrahman, one of more than 70 people one of more than 70 people killed in an operation killed in an operation to rescue two hostages. to rescue two hostages. his daughter malak lost his daughter malak lost an eye in the attack. an eye in the attack. "pain," she says. "pain," she says. "i lost my father. "i lost my father. enough." enough." nora was pregnant at nora was pregnant at the time and now has the time and now has the couple's baby, rahma. 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. joining me now is khaled elgindy, adjunct professor at georgetown university. thank you for being with us. we are looking and listening there to that report of the desperate suffering that has gone on in gaza for 15 months now, what

does this moment today mean for palestinians? this is

reduced to rubble. this is really the beginning. people will breathe a sigh of relief and then begin the very long, hard work of healing and rehabilitating and feeding the people who have been starved for the past many months and trying to rebuild some semblance of a normal life, to look for loved ones that have been lost or still buried under the rubble. there will be medical teams, there will be field hospitals that need to be built. temporary housing. there is a great deal of work that needs to be done, but it all depends on whether the cease—fire can hold. depends on whether the cease-fire can hold. how fraaile cease-fire can hold. how fragile do _ cease-fire can hold. how fragile do you _ cease-fire can hold. how fragile do you think - cease-fire can hold. how fragile do you think this i cease-fire can hold. howl fragile do you think this is, particularly the period from now until sunday. we are hearing from inside gaza, reports that there have been israeli air strikes tonight, somewhere between 20 and 30 people have been killed. it is

a reminder— people have been killed. it is a reminder that _ people have been killed. it is a reminder that we _ people have been killed. it 3 a reminder that we are not people have been killed. it 1 a reminder that we are not out of the darkness. palestinians lebanon where despite there being darkness. ease—fire lebanon where despite there being darkness. palestinians in gaza certainly are not in of the darkness. palestinians in gaza certainly are not in the clear and that anything can the clear and that anything can happen. it is unclear if any of happen. it is unclear if any of these air strikes have any these air strikes have any military purpose at this stage, military purpose at this stage, given the fact that an given the fact that an agreement has been reached, but agreement has been reached, but there is always last—second there is always last—second positioning and pressure that positioning and pressure that many feel needs to be applied. many feel needs to be applied. so i think we are likely to so i think we are likely to see, unfortunately, more death see, unfortunately, more death and destruction between now and and destruction between now and sunday but i also worry a great sunday but i also worry a great deal about after sunday in deal about after sunday in which we are likely to see a which we are likely to see a continuation of attacks in continuation of attacks in similar ways as we have seen in similar ways as we have seen in

lebanon where despite there lebanon where despite there being a signed cease—fire being a signed cease—fire

the cease—fire is not a permanent peace. it is just about rehabilitation and reconstruction of gaza and it is about allowing materials in and engineers and building homes and hospitals and allowing cement and other construction materials in. that will be the concern of phase three, if we get to phase three. permanent peace is still a long ways off and has to do with the weather israel ever ends its occupation of the gaza strip and the west bank and eastjerusalem and whether palestinians will ever be free. so we have much more modest goals here which if we can get there phase one, if we can get through the first six weeks with out any military air strikes and without attacks by either side, to create the

conditions for the rest of the hostages to be released and also to begin the very long, difficult road to rebuild whatever is left of gaza. thank ou so whatever is left of gaza. thank you so much — whatever is left of gaza. thank you so much for— whatever is left of gaza. thank you so much forjoining - whatever is left of gaza. thank you so much forjoining us - whatever is left of gaza. thank you so much forjoining us on i you so much forjoining us on bbc news. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. inflation unexpectedly dipped in december to 2.5% down from 2.6% the previous month, raising expectations of an interest rate cut next month. the drop was driven by a fall in hotel prices and smaller than usual rises in airfares prices, but costs continue to rise faster than the bank of england's target. the government says it will consult donald trump before finalising a deal to hand over the chagos islands to mauritius. the uk has been negotiating an agreement that would cede the territory but maintain control of the military base there it shares with the us.

its already been greenlit by the biden administration, but incoming secretary of state marco rubio says the deal poses a "serious threat" due to mauritius having a trade agreement with china. sir keir starmer says he will look at "every conceivable way" to prevent the former sinn fein leader, gerry adams, from receiving compensation for being detained without trial during the troubles in northern ireland. you're live with bbc news. we're seeing reaction from world leaders to the ceasefire deal. the united nations secretary general, antonio guterres said the priority now had to be easing the tremendous suffering caused by the conflict. he said the un was ready to scale up the delivery of aid to palestinians. the head of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, said the agreement brought hope to the entire middle east. and britain's prime minister keir starmer said attention must turn to a permanently better future for israelis and palestinians grounded in a two—state solution.

for reaction from washington, i spoke a little earlier tojohn kirby, white house national security communications adviser. how confident are you that all sides will honour this deal? that is the key question. implementation is the most important thing right now now that we have the deal itself. that is why we kept the trump team informed of this negotiation process and that is why the president elect�*s special adviser steve witkoff was there so he can be fully informed on what implementation needs to look like because it will pass on that team to do that. it will require commitment and effort, leadership on all sides here. certainly in the region to make sure that each phase can be achieved and that all of the commitments in each

phase can be accomplished. when you mention keeping president—elect trump and his team involved here, have you received assurances from them that they will oversee the implementation such as it has been agreed so far? absolutely, 100%. the new envoy, mr witkoff has been in communication with our coordinator who has been doing the coordinating he is aware of every detail of the implementation and he and the incoming team arejust as dedicated to the success of this deal as we have been. as the president said today in his remarks we are confident that that leadership in that effort and energy will be applied by the incoming team to implement all of these details. was there an extra influence from president—elect donald trump in getting this deal over the line at this point when it is so close to that which had been outlined by president biden in may? look, it is without question some of his comments in the public made clear that he wanted this deal and i think that certainly sent

a strong signal to those in the region that the efforts had to continue. the efforts that we were already engaged in were important and certainly important to the incoming team made that a priority. undoubtedly, that help. there is no question about that. as you note, this was a deal that president biden originally put on the table back in may and we have been involved in months and months of intense diplomacy to get to where we are. the other huge factor here was a further weakening and isolating, isolation of hamas since may. they have been decimated militarily and further isolated and iran is weakerand has below is not coming to their rescue because we brokered a cease—fire between israel and hezbollah so there have been further changes on the hamas front as well. talk to us about what is happening on sunday when the deal comes into effect, is there a role for the us at that point? in terms of a active physical role there to handle the first

releases of hostages, i am not seeing any need for that. there wasn't a need the last time either. but the first tranche hostages will come out and these are the elderly, women civilians, the sick and injured, the most at risk hostages will be the first to be released. i cannot tell you here on wednesday evening exactly who is coming out and at what hour, but that first batch will be released as early as this weekend. and we can speak now with someone familiar with these efforts laura blumenfeld, who formerly served in the us state department as a senior policy adviser for the israeli palestinian negotiating team. thank you for being with us. you are so invested in this region and so familiar with those involved, what is your reading of the deal that has come through today? i would call it a stop _

come through today? i would call it a stop the _ come through today? i would call it a stop the bleeding - call it a stop the bleeding cease—fire. it is not a healing piece. these are parties that are in a state of permanent worse site on that we can expect a permanent peace, but i will take it. one of the lessons that i learned in our failure under president obama to negotiate peace between israelis and palestinians, our motto was go big or go home and nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and of course we cannot reach the final agreement and we went home and there was more violence. so i'm happy to see evenjust violence. so i'm happy to see even just the first phase of this three—part deal implemented. i'm hearing a lot of people use verbs like hope. we hope the second and third phases will be implemented. that does give me some concern. but as i learned the hard way under president obama, embraced the doable, slow, slow as they say in arabic, baby steps will work for me today.— work for me today. how significant _ work for me today. how significant is _ work for me today. how significant is it - work for me today. how significant is it that - work for me today. how significant is it that the | significant is it that the biden administration team that have been working on this for

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