the civilians in gaza. but you had 19 trips by the cia director involving multiple countries just on this subject, trips to the region and elsewhere in the world where he was meeting with the negotiators. you had 13 missions by the secretary of state going to 7 or 8 countries. on each of those trips i was on many of them. you also had brett mcgurk, the chief negotiator in doha tonight, and he was the one who spent weeks and weeks on this. so the effort was huge. but what, by everyone's acknowledgment in the administration, starting on december 2nd when donald trump went on truth social and said to hamas, get this done and hamas released the hostages, get a cease fire deal, or quote, there will be hell to pay in the middle east. that started a lot of pressure coming principally on israel, on netanyahu to get his right wing cabinet ministers in line and to go for the deal that thousands and thousands of people were protesting in favor of in the streets of tel aviv. so that pressure and then steve witkoff got

i am work he was doing in gaza? i am very proud _ work he was doing in gaza? work he was doing in gaza? i am very proud of my _ work he was doing in gaza? i am very proud of my father. - work he was doing in gaza? i —n very proud of my father. he is a great person and i am very, very proud of him, because he is a true hero who loves to do good things, and i hope that he will be released as soon as possible, because he is truly innocent of the charges which may be levelled at him, because his work is humanitarian and he is free of any suspicion. mini; is free of any suspicion. why did he decide _ is free of any suspicion. why did he decide to _ is free of any suspicion. why did he decide to stay - is free of any suspicion. why did he decide to stay in - is free of any suspicion. why did he decide to stay in gaza and keep working at the hospital, even when it became incredibly dangerous for him to do so? fist incredibly dangerous for him to do so? �* , incredibly dangerous for him to do so? . , ., do so? at the beginning of the war, we received _ do so? at the be

israel faces circumstances in gaza. the civilian population trapped there with hamas hiding in and under homes, hospitals, schools and mosques. indeed, hamas cynically weaponized the suffering. in a message of hamas' military leader at the time, sinwar called the death of palestinian civilians, and i quote, necessary sacrifices and said, the more palestinians that were killed, the more hamas would benefit. these profound challenges notwithstanding, israel's efforts have fallen far short of meeting the colossal scale in gaza. we've said publicly and privately there are steps israel could take to transform the humanitarian situation in gaza and ensure critical aid reaches all palestinians in need. those include restarting full commercial goods and undertaking pauses in military operations as it did during the successful polio vaccination campaign and securing civic order with the flow of aid to storage and distribution sites. and suffering civilians in gaza is a tragedy in its own right and isolated israel internationally

but the impact of 15 months of war in gaza has been huge.sraeli 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

in all areas of gaza. the surge in humanitarian assistance in gaza will begin. and the innocent people can have a greater access to these vital supplies. during the next six weeks israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war. say that again, permanent end of the war. there are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two. but the plan says if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the cease-fire will continue as long as the negotiations continue. i have spoken to mater of cue wait and the -- of kuwait and the president of egypt and we have pledged to make sure the negotiation also keep moving forward for as long as it takes. then when phase two begins, there will be an exchange for release of the remaining hostage, including male soldiers and all remaining israeli forces will be withdrawn from gaza. and the temporary cease-fire will become permanent. and finally, phase three, any final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families. a major reconstruc

no one really has an— gaza, who does? no one really has an answerto gaza, who does? has an answer to that yet. in terms of those sticking points, the identity of those people who might be released and negotiations also over how they could police people in gaza returning to the north who have been displaced. talk us through some of the sticking points we understand to be obstructing things at the 11th hour.- things at the 11th hour. third talks about _ things at the 11th hour. third talks about how— things at the 11th hour. third talks about how they - things at the 11th hour. third talks about how they will. things at the 11th hour. third talks about how they will check those _ talks about how they will check those people returning to the north — those people returning to the north from the south, to their homes — north from the south, to their homes in _ north from the south, to their homes in the north. israel is saying — homes in the north. israel is saying those people need to be vetted — saying those people need to be vetted and checked to see they are hot— vett

so huge questions going forward over the future of gaza.will be back in a moment or two, but i want to bring in our gaza correspondent, who is in istanbul monitoring events. he is talking to all his contacts. bring me up—to—date with what you are hearing about what hamas have said in the last little while. there was some confusion about the announcement and there still is, because we don't know exactly when the announcement will be made, but the head of the hamas delegation hasjust told the bbc they have handed over the final approval for the deal, which will include hamas releasing 33 israeli hostages, including women, children and female soldiers at the first stage, and israel will release about 1500 palestinian detainees in israeli prisons. most of them were detained after the 7th of october from gaza and there are about 500 were detained before, including about 250 people who are serving 15 or more years in prison. most important in this dealfor the 2.3 million people, especially deal for the 2.3 million people, especially those who par

the beginning of this month, just 10% of what gaza previously relied on. deal if it comes into effect offers some hope. it includes the commitment to allow the 600 truckloads per day into gaza. they have been traveling with an aid convoy from jordan and a warning that his report contains some pictures of children in distress. >> help is coming. down along the valley, the biggest aid convoy since the war began. solidarity from the kingdom of jordan. in two deliveries, 120 trucks on the road to gaza from a country that is home to many palestinians. >> we are carrying aid messes my says mustapha al cadre, this is a good deed and we are happy to be part of this operation. >> we can travel with this convoy as far as the israeli border but since the war began, israel does not allow the media to enter gaza and report independently. bbc colleagues living in gaza have been filming every day including today, the first real moment of hope. >> they are waiting for today's meager charity. little wonder that tired tempers fray. when you have lived this struggle every da

the gaza based ministry of health. dead has now reached around 47,000. and that's alongside 111,000 wounded. but many have said that the real figure is much higher. a recent study in the lancet medicaljournal said that that was a major underestimate. and that figure also includes around 18,000 children, 200 journalists, and over 1,000 health workers, according to doctors without borders. of course, we have to also take into account the conflicts between hezbollah and israel because that was linked closely to the gaza conflict. so in lebanon, the death toll is around 3,700. that's both combatants and civilians. and there were more than 15,000 wounded there. in terms of israeli fatalities, the israeli army has said that 840 israeli soldiers have been killed, both in gaza and on the northern front following the conflict with hezbollah, and around 815 civilians have also been killed in israel. thank you for going through those details. let's cross over to jonah injerusalem now. jonah fisher. aand again, one of the question

in terms of who will actually govern gaza, that is something that no proposal, neitherthis gaza, thateriously with there are many plans floating around. there are huge differences between the way that us sees god as his future, the way that israel sees gaza's future and palestinians. now the us and palestinians. now the us and palestinians are in agreement they want to see a restatement of the pa without hamas. israel's western avenue lies in israel's western avenue lies in israel itself is made clear that hamas has no future in theirs. that dealing with hamas on any level after this is an absolute nonstarter. the difference here is the fact that israel is absolutely adamant of not allowing for any serious administrative entity in the immediate term that can potentially threaten security. for israel the best we could possibly hope for, this is something that even aid organizations have reluctantly come to terms with is some sort of aid economy, if you like whereby gaza will be entirely dependent on aid. we will effectively see a tent city in ruins for them and law in order, if we coul

gaza. thank you very much indeed and _ gaza. thank you very much indeed and good _ gaza.ndeed and good luck with l gaza. thank you very much - indeed and good luck with your efforts. we can speak to let's speak to mark c speak to schwartz, retired us army lieutenant general, former us security coordinator for israel and the palestinian authority, now adjunct international and defence researcher at rand. how confident and optimistic argue that this agreement will actually work? i’m argue that this agreement will actually work?— actually work? i'm confident based on — actually work? i'm confident based on what _ actually work? i'm confident based on what i've - actually work? i'm confident based on what i've heard - actually work? i'm confident i based on what i've heard today throughout all the reporting and from our president that the first phase will be successful. phase two, the ongoing negotiation for the idf, that being a condition for the release of the further hostages, both alive and unfortunately the remains. i think that's a more challenging part of the three pha

thank ou so whatever is left of gaza. thank you so much — whatever is left of gaza.ank 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

can surge and have more goods coming into gaza.— coming into gaza.nto gaza. can ijust ask you one last question . coming into gaza. can ijust l ask you one last question was an act we heard in the last hour or so from the far right israeli government minister itamar ben—gvir, opposing this cease—fire deal, but he also said there should be a complete stop to all the aid going into gaza. what's your reaction to that? ., . ., ., ., that? the reaction that we have is that you've — that? the reaction that we have is that you've got _ that? the reaction that we have is that you've got 2.2 _ that? the reaction that we have is that you've got 2.2 million i is that you've got 2.2 million people that are in gaza and that rely on assistance. what they're looking for is not only assistance, it is actually to have commercial flow coming back in. they deserve after 15 months to be served in a proper manner and get back on their feet. the first message nina had to meet was, i want to go back to... she has been displaced eight times. all she is asking is to go back

on the right side they are celebrating in gaza. let's listen to gaza for a moment. [no audio] >> i was told we would have the sound of that. let me know, to the team when we do. ambassador friedman, what are they celebrating? >> i mean, this is probably being sold to them as some sort of a victory, and look, it's hard for israelis to watch the hamas supporters celebrating. but that celebration is going to be short-lived. i mean, right now, this is about getting the hostages back and israel is paying a high price to get them back. but israel is not agreeing to end the war. hamas has no future. and i'm hoping -- i'm skeptical. but i'm hoping that may be some of them are celebrating the possibility that hamas is coming to an end. that with this, you know, hamas loses its leverage, and someone can come in and rule the gaza strip which is less malign. but i'm not a very good psychologist into the minds of these people. >> harris: i was hoping to get some audio, and now we have more light on the situation. they are on each other's shoulders and looking jubilant. as you sa

nothing like what they've suffered in gaza. nothing like what they've suffered in gaza. but one of the things we learned is it can always get worse and it may get worse. it will probably continue. but there is a trajectory, which is a trajectory of hope. and i think we have to keep that in mind. that's the first thing i want to say. the second thing i want to say is that what we've been listening to tonight in the way of poetry and narrative and stories and literature and acting and art and theater and movies is more important than what i do as a historian or what journalists do or, what academics do. i mean, we've done our part. we've helped to change the narrative. but what people like arafat, people like mazen, what people the folks that i hope you'll their books and spread them are doing is much more fundamental. it gets the humanity of the palestinians. it gets the narrative of the palestinian through in a way nothing i write nothing. edward wrote nothing any us wrote can do. we played our part. i'm playing my part. eliot. how edward played his part became. eliot hu

things like who will govern gaza in the future.de it very clear they don't want hamas to be involved in that and indeed, will israel keep a military presence in gaza in the longer term? >> what is the sense of how fragile this agreement is at this point? >> well, it has taken a long time to get to this point. the first outlines of a deal like this first came to light in may of last year. there was talk of it being quite close to an agreement at that point and then that fell away quite rapidly. though at the moment, i think there is a sense of optimism and a huge amount of optimism has gone into making -- effort has gone into making this happen especially pressure from the united. the envoys from the ongoing biden administration and the trump administration have been heavily involved in trying to create this pressure to get this deal across the line this time so i think it is probably too early to talk about it being fragile. it has taken a huge effort to get to this point and there are many unknowns. they will no doubt have to deal

was announced, in gaza.or the families of the hostages who have been pushing for this deal for months now, their loved ones out and in this initial six week phase, phase one, which is really the only phase that seems clear at the moment, we are only going to see 33 of the remaining hostages released. the negotiations for phase two are going to start in 16 days�* time and there will still be around 30 hostages thought to be alive in gaza still being held at the end of phase one. and another 30 or so whose bodies are due to be recovered and are presumed to be dead. jon donnison, live injerusalem. these are the pictures from jerusalem, a member of the press is taking a picture there, because you can see there are images of israeli flags there, and people holding up pictures of those who were taken hostage during the original attack back in october seventh. you can see that those flags are draped over an image of what would be a coffin, there, just a reminder of the number of hostages who have died in gaza. this

colleagues in gaza, as your correspondent just— gaza, as your correspondent just said, — gaza, as yourion will improve. we request from all parties — improve. we request from all parties that the ceasefire will come — parties that the ceasefire will come together with a massive increase — come together with a massive increase in humanitarian aid, protection _ increase in humanitarian aid, protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and hospital _ humanitarian workers and hospital workers. to humanitarian workers and hospital workers.- humanitarian workers and hospital workers. to be clear, in november _ hospital workers. to be clear, in november the _ hospital workers. to be clear, in november the american . in november the american government gave israel a 30 day deadline to increase humanitarian aid or risk a reduction in us military aid to israel. do you see any increase, have you seen any increase, have you seen any increase in humanitarian aid from israel in the last few weeks and whether israel has respected the ultimatum? sadly not. what respected the ultimatum? sadly not- wha

now they're not out of gaza. this deal isn't necessarily one that guarantees israel will be out of gaza. but i do think one of the things that qatar was saying to hamas was, you're insisting on ending the war and israel getting out once you have this pause, pretty hard to believe that it would trump in as president that israel is going to resume the fighting. now, of course, if hamas goes ahead and doesn't fulfill its part of the deal, that will happen. but if they do fulfill their part of the deal, it's pretty hard to see this resuming the war resuming, and then that will open the way towards doing the normalization deal between saudi arabia and israel. so we're we're looking at a region that typically we assume everything goes wrong. and it may yet i have plenty of experience being on the brink of all sorts of breakthroughs when the middle east, as it is, rears its head. but right now, i would say this is as promising a moment as we've seen in a very long time. >> with all of those caveats, which we both know f

on the ground in gaza the gaza civil defence reportedly 70 people have been killed just in the last fewrs since the ceasefire deal was agreed in doha. our international editor — jeremy bowen — has more. 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. 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 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. i really wait for this very, very needed thing to happen, for the war to stop, f

more than 15 months of suffering by the innocent people of gaza, fighting in gaza, to stop and soon the hostages will return that their families. the elements of the deal i laid out in detail this past may was embraced by the countries around the world and endorsed overwhelmingly by the security council. it will be constructed in three phases. phase 1 is six weeks and includes a complete cease-fire and withdrawal of israeli forces from all populated areas of gaza and the release of a number of hostages held by hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded. i'm proud to say the americans can be part of the hostage release in phase 1 as well. the vice president and i cannot wait to welcome them home. in exchange israel will release hundreds of thousands of prisoners and in phase 1 the palestinians can return to their neighborhoods in all areas of gaza. and the surge of humanitarian assistance in gaza will begin and the innocent people can have a greater access to these vital supplies. during the next six weeks, israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase 2 which is

held in gaza, and you and your otherfamilies are held in gaza, and you and your other families are poisedin gaza, and you and your otherfamilies are poised on the brink of what you hope is the brink of what you hope is the return of your loved ones. what do these days and hours feel like for you as you wait? thank you for having me. the past few days have been very difficult. we've been advocating for 15 months and have heard for so many months since may we are on the verge of a deal and suddenly we saw there is a change in the air in there is a change in the air in the past few days and perhaps this time it would be different and we are still hoping to hear that the deal has been reached and the white smoke appears from the israeli cabinet meeting and the government as well and until we see the first hostage release we will not believe that the deal came through, and until we see we are going to stop fighting and advocating for our loved ones in captivity. his brother and i'm assuming your brother would not be in the first phase of those released. yes, at least according to the reports a

it devastated gaza, and most of the people of gaza were displaced.ities, entire cities in gaza have been flattened. i've been inside on visits with the israeli military, and i haven't seen that level of devastation anywhere in the world. there are places that it truly looks like a moonscape, and the people who have been forced down into southern gaza, and there are 2.2 million people, are going to now start heading back to the north, which was the area of gaza that was the most damaged, and realize that their homes, their neighbors homes, everything they knew is gone and has been reduced to rubble. for israel, this has been a tremendously traumatic experience. it has been divisive. it has seen fights between the left wing and the right wing, fights between hostage families and the government hostage families. accusing prime minister netanyahu of deliberately trying to use this incident to score political points to favor, to curry favor with the right wing. this has been a traumatic experience for israel, and it is traumatic right now you're seeing li

tens of thousands of people killede in gaza.early the entire population has lost 11 near the entire population is enduring hunger. nearly the entire population some 2 millionul people has been displaced, many multiple times. most have no home to go to there so many homes in gaza have been damaged oree destroyed. gaza's most dangerous places in the world to be a child, to be a civilian, to be a journalist. and, as always happens in congress the more people suffer, the less they feel empathy for the suffering of those on thehe other side. throughout the arab muslim world's large majorities large d october 7 did not happen or if it did that it was legitimate attack on israel's military. in israel there's almost no reporting on the conditions in gaza and what people there endure every day. this scum dehumanization is one of the greatest tragedies of the conflict. gaza. we should share sorrow and it makes a sense of common humanity. and without it we lose co-existence. for the united states, a country with unique global engagements a

i visited gaza and open up a path to lasting peace.e occupied palestinian territories for the third time as foreign secretaryjust this week. meeting foreign ministers and presidents and hostage families to press for an end to this war i do plan for the future. we have also played a leading role in the humanitarian effort, restarting funding, funding field hospitals that have treated over 300,000 gazans, and providing over 100 million in support of the palestinians this financial year. i pay tribute to the foreign office ministers in the last government for their work to deliberate to gaza. i know how hard they work now i'm in this role. and this intense effort must continue in the days and weeks ahead. much remains to be done. it is critical there is final approval of this agreement, and the israeli cabinet meets as the israeli cabinet meets as the israeli cabinet meets, i urge them to back this deal. now is not the time for any backtracking. both sides must implement each phase of the deal in full and on time. the history of this conf

calm to go back to gaza and will never give up gaza. thank you any questions? yes. the first question from sky news prime minister yalda hakim from sky news. >> congratulations. >> this is a huge moment. you, as you say, have been working on this deal for for many months. and the question is why now? why this moment? and was it pressure from the incoming trump administration that got it over the line? thank you. >> well, thank you very much for this question. actually, we've been raising the question of the right moment for the entire period since the collapse of of the first phase. uh, but we have seen a momentum that started to build in the last month, and we kept pushing for that, working together very closely with our partners. and i can say that what we have seen from the u.s. in the past few days, seeing a collaboration transcending both administration, was a clear demonstration for the commitment of the u.s. to reach to that deal. and i really would like to thank, uh, both the envoys who are here with us in the last couple of days. and they played a vital rol

tens of thousands of rtpeople killed in gaza. the entire publishing has lost his enduring hunger nearly the entire population some 2 million people have been displaced many multiple times. most have no home to go to. there are so many homes in gaza that have been damaged or destroyed. it's one of the most dangerous places in the world. to be a civilian. and as always happens in conflicts, the more people suffer, the less they feel empathy for the suffering of those on the other side. large majorities believe that october 7 didn't happen or if it did, that it was a legitimate attack on atisrael's military. in israel there is on the snow recording and what people and/or everyday. this dehumanization is one of the greatest tragedies also salvaged moments of loss of despair and a sense of ÃÃ without it we lose one of the most crucial foundations of reconciliation and eventually united states the country was unique global engagement responsibilities conflict is put personnel and facilities and assets at greater risk and strengthened o

just base those opposed, no situation inside gaza. i'm sure there are things they have looked at, that they have planned, they need to adapt once they're able to move around more freely inside of gaza. >> can you say what's agreed? >> i can't get into that. >> what about what you'd like to see in terms of security arrangements? >> we want to see that humanitarian workers are protected. that they can go about their jobs, free from harm. free from violence. that they are not put in harm's way either by members of hamas who will still be inside gaza and who still of course have access to weapons inside gaza, or by gangs and looting that we have seen be an impediment to delivery of assistance over the past few months. but specifics of that, are conversations we're having directly with humanitarian groups. >> it's been an extraordinary year, four years, and i think been pretty full. congratulations. i wanted to ask this again. we've been asking about the incidents of israel's activities in gaza that have been investigated. are you confiden

, head towards the borders of gaza, but that they would not leave the gaza strip entirely. and the hope here is that during this first phase of the deal, negotiations will continue in doha, qatar, where this first phase has been agreed to try to get from phase one to phase two. phase two would see a complete end to the war, the full withdrawal of israeli troops and in return, the exchange of all israeli hostages still being held in gaza. we have seen these cease fire talks come close and collapse before. we have seen the one cease fire that was agreed back in november 2023. it lasted just one week before it fell apart. some 105 hostages came out of gaza. there were seven brief days of respite for palestinian civilians. and then the shooting started again. and since then, those marathon negotiations have continued. but this is the first time that a cease fire deal has been agreed. chris, amid this moment of hope, it is worth just reflecting that the deal that appears to have emerged out of qatar today is not significantly different from the outline that president biden laid

israel responded by hammering gaza and its people, from then until today. 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 time of real turmoil in the middle east, but as i prepare to leave office, ourfriends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there's genuine opportunities 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. reporter: who gets credit for this, mr president, - you ortrump? is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure

gaza first cannot be gaza only.g to get a dime out of the emiratis or the saudis or the kuwaitis, if in fact, the money is simply going to be used to rebuild namely hamas and israel, are going to continue to go at it. and i suspect the inconvenient reality here is that hamas is going to survive. it cannot govern gaza, but it can survive as an insurgency through co-optation, through intimidation, in an effort to effect whatever political framework or entity the international community or the region wants to put up. and this gets to the issue of the absence of any serious implementation of mechanisms, governance, security, reconstruction on post-conflict gaza as long as the war goes on, which is why the second phase becomes critical. as long as the war goes on, i see very limited possibilities other than humanitarian assistance, maybe to solve and to relieve the suffering of 2.3 million palestinians. it's been a humanitarian catastrophe. aside from the psychological and spiritual wreckage of an entire generation of pa

gaza will be allowed to return to the north.umanitarian 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. let's get the latest from our international editor, jeremy bowen. 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. 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 in tel aviv it is also a bittersweet moment for the families and supporters of israeli hostages, living a

and israel allowing 1000000 pump seen is back to the northern gaza strip. so would you want to be here to see the is mohammed elementary. he's a media studies professor of the doha institute for graduate studies to look at everything we know so far. but firstly mohammed, this is close to a deal as we have ever come before, 5810. so they've been to know whether it will actually bear fruit. can you explain the, what's different this time? i mean, what for you is the biggest signal of progress and possible success? well, 1st of all, i, i agree with you that this is the closest we've been. i think everyone now is a fairly optimistic actually that we're going to get across the official finish line. and i think the, the main difference here is the new variable that has entered the equation. that is a donald trump for the donald trump presidency. and far did for me to, to give a credit to donald trump. i've spent the better part of 9 years critiquing his policy programs and political discourse. but um, she is clearly, uh, the one driving uh, driving this cease fir

the largest city in southern gaza. younis and many people there have been displaced from northern gaza so under the ceasefire deal hundreds of thousands of people could potentially go back to the north of gaza but israel wants him to be screened and vetted before they make that journey to the north. let's unpack some of this withjon donnison who is here in jerusalem. how close do we think we are to a deal this time? ~ . , . time? we are still waiting. almost there _ time? we are still waiting. almost there but - time? we are still waiting. almost there but not - time? we are still waiting. | almost there but not quite. mediators are saying the broad principles of the deal have been — principles of the deal have been agreed but they are working on what they call technical issues. in particular i think— technical issues. in particular i think some of the coordination of how hostages and prisoners might be exchanged and also some of the wording — exchanged and also some of the wording over how israel withdraws from gaza.

alleviate the suffering of the gaza strip.ce october 8, we in the state of the tar say no effort with the constant -- under the constant watchful eye. we worked day and night to reach this moment and since our remediation efforts succeed up last november to guarantee release of 109 hostages in return for a number of palestinian prisoners. we have been working continuously in order to prevent bloodshed and put an end to the war machine for restore hope for our region and a prosperous future that will allow our people to dream of a better future for 411 days, meetings, context with our partners and both sides of the conflict until we reach this long-awaited moment today. however, today begins a responsibility for both sides will be supported by international community and the mediators in order to achieve complete success. at this is what we will be focusing on in the coming days d weeks. i would like to express thanks to all of our partners in the region and internationally for their support to our efforts all the way until we

the, the joy in gaza as counsel remediate is confirm a ceasefire deals being reached between israel and her boss of the 15 months of 4. we would continue to do everything we can everything possible to get together with our partners to ensure that this deal is implemented as it's agreed the i'm the pocket, this is i'll just say are life some to ha, also coming up more tax on goes despite the deal at least 30 palestinians accused of the agreement is announced. cautious optimism from families the best way the captives and gaza, hoping loved ones will return and then the 1st phase of the cease fire and police in south africa and the rest, your operation of the band of mine. $78.00 mine is a confirmed dad and many are still missing the parts of joining us off to 15 months of war in gaza. this killed voted in 46700 palestinians israel and a mass of agreed on a cease 5. the deal includes the release of the history, the captive still held in gaza and is expected to take place in 3 stages. however, these really cabinets still needs to approve it. council as prime minister, haven't been up to rom

can israel achieve still in the gaza strip? it is, there is no doubt that w o n d scotland was wo 5 deep because they used to come off as a really power. this was the 1st thing that we are losing people the so a big bully eh, eh, not only to explain why was to do this gross. the issue here, the way to here is it, well we loved allowing it because trunk the rich elsewhere on these land in this probably be flexible. we'll find you in the line. thank you for talking to us and bringing yes. the perspective the from israel out in the former director general of israel's foreign ministry, joining us from tennessee. we appreciate your time. thank you for all 15 months. so these are as well on guys as taking a devastating toll on its people. more than 46700 policy needs have been killed since october. the 7th. 2023. that's nearly 2.2 percent of the population of those more than $17000.00 with children. but the overall figure does not include the $11000.00 about a city and considered missing and buried under the rubble. several assessmen

number one, as you said, in gaza, the questionsj as you said, in gaza, the questions about who is goings a question that is still unresolved since the beginning of the war. that is a question for palestinian political regional leaders to some degree. and the israeli government, netanyahu after the hamas 0ctober seven attack on israel which was seen as an intelligence and security failure in israel, he was under a lot of scrutiny and under a lot of political pressure at that time for allowing that attack to happen and then the response, in which there has been more than a year of war, and yesterday you had the secretary of state antony blinken saying that hamas has been able to recruit more members and rebuild itself, even during that time, during this immense israeli bombardment in gaza. and alongside that, despite of that get to some degree, netanyahu has strengthened his position in israel, he has managed to set up his cabinet, reshuffle in a way that will survive this deal in spite of threats from the right—wing members of his cabinet to leave the government if a deal is signed. and

on day 16 of the gaza strip.t phase, they would begin to negotiate the second phase of the deal, which would involve the release of more hostages, prisoners and more discussions over the shape of a post—war gaza. how would it be rebuilt and who would govern it? a couple of additional lines i want to bring viewers. axial is our reporting a us official also saying a gaza ceasefire deal has been reached, so bit by bit, strands of information all seems to be heading in the same direction. let me bring you up—to—date with a press release that's come from the hostages and missing families forum headquarters. we saw pictures a bit earlier in the afternoon of those families in hostage square in tel aviv, and let me take you through what they have said. they say, in they have said. they say, in the light of reports about an imminent agreement, we welcome and deeply appreciate the return of every hostage, each one representing hope and relief not only for their immediate family but for our entire community. we urgently pul

, but even inside of gaza. you have a new generation of palestinians who are going to be scarred by this war. and we have heard time and time again of people inside gaza who have vowed revenge for what they have had to endure over the past 15 months. and that's a scary thought. >> yeah. ben rhodes, thank you for your time and wisdom this evening. ayman mohyeldin, it is always great to have you on to talk about these issues. ayman show, of course, airs weekend nights starting at 7 p.m. eastern, right here on msnbc. more ahead. this evening, including 2020 election denialism on full display today in the nomination hearing for trump's pick for attorney general. but first, president biden's farewell address to the nation was really just an ominous warning about our democracy. claire mccaskill and jonathan martin join me on that. coming up next. stay with us. >> hi, grandma. i played baseball today. oh that's great. >> what position did you play? >> first base. that's what grandpa used to play when our hearing would

_ remain on the road separating gaza from _ remain on the road separating gaza from the north to thehe people displaced over— south. the people displaced over a — south. the people displaced over a year ago from their villages— over a year ago from their villages and towns in the north, _ villages and towns in the north, they will be allowed to id north, they will be allowed to go back— north, they will be allowed to go back to the north. but there is also — go back to the north. but there is also a — go back to the north. but there is also a lot of complication in this, _ is also a lot of complication in this, because they will be subject— in this, because they will be subject to x—ray screening machines that will be put in place — machines that will be put in place on _ machines that will be put in place on the road to allow cars to pass — place on the road to allow cars to pass freely. we understand that egyptian and qatari security delegations should arrive — security delegations should arrive irr— security delegations should arrive in gaza on the first day of the — arrive in gaz

in all of the areas of gaza. the surgery may turn assistance into gaza will begin an innocent people could hunker access to these vital supplies. in the next six weeks, israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two. that is a permanent end of the war. let me say it again, a permanent end of the war. a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two. but, the plan says that the negotiators take longer than six weeks, a cease-fire will continue as long as the negotiations continue. i spoke with the mayor of kuwait and the president of egypt. we have pledged to make sure the negotiations will keep moving forward as long as it takes. then, when phase two begins it will be in exchange for release of the remaining living hostages. including mail soldiers and all remaining israeli forces will be withdrawing from gaza. and a temporary cease-fire will become permanent. and finally, phase three. in the final koreans of hostages to that have been killed would return to their family a m

i want to go back to honey offload and data obama in central gaza. you spoke to us just a few minutes ago, honey, when the news began to populate out about this deal about the reaction of the people there to the news. just tell us again, this is dealers are just joining us. what people have been saying and how they've been reacting to this news that they see spar deals in guys according to media reports, doesn't seem to have integrated with where you know rob for the past months. people who used to come at our book gusting point and ask this one. and only one question about when is the ceasefire going to happen when the war is going to in that for the 1st time, i can see genuine happiness in the eyes of all the people as standing around us here. as the news a started to go by, right, and people reading more about the, the agreement between our mazda and his read on a ceasefire agreement that the, the, the approval that the, with the, of the, the deal has, has been as received from the uh, the overhead or then the stakeholders and this whole daunting