Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, the United States and mediator Qatar said.

If the Israeli cabinet and government formally approve the deal (which they have not yet), the first six-week phase will come into effect on January 19.

The deal comes after 15 months of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group and political movement Hamas.

The current conflict began on October 7, 2023, when hundreds of Hamas militants stormed across Israel’s southern border, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel responded with military action, beginning with an immediate aerial bombardment and then launching a full-scale ground invasion on 27 October. Since then, Israel has attacked targets across Gaza from land, sea and air, while Hamas has attacked Israel with rockets.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 46,700 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

The following is a reminder of key events in negotiations.

2023

October 7: Hundreds of Hamas-led gunmen have launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, breaching the border fence and targeting nearby communities, police stations and military bases. Some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken back to Gaza. Hamas has also fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The Israeli military immediately responded with air strikes and artillery strikes on Gaza.

October 27: Israel launches ground invasion of Gaza. Israel’s massive military campaign will continue to devastate Gaza, displacing much of its 2.3 million people and killing more than 46,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

November 21: Hamas, brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, released 105 hostages in exchange for the safety of some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails during a week-long ceasefire. Israel and Hamas blame each other leading to the breakdown of the armistice.

December 28: Shuttle diplomacy begins regarding a new ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

2024

May 31: US President Joe Biden outlined Israeli proposal Demands a three-phase ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages. It formed the basis of a deal struck eight months later.

June 10: United Nations Security Council pass resolution Support the ceasefire plan.

July 31: Talks suspended after the assassination of israel Hamas political leader and chief negotiator Ismail Haniyeh holds a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran. Discussions resumed two weeks later without Hamas.

October 17: israeli army Killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza. Netanyahu called this the “beginning of the end” of the war.

November 9: After months of no breakthrough, Qatar suspend its efforts Act as a mediator in negotiations. The report says Israel and Hamas need to change their stance. Both sides blame each other for the impasse.

November 20: USA reject draft The U.N. Security Council resolution called for an immediate ceasefire, saying it “abandoned” the need for “the link between a ceasefire and the release of hostages.”

November 27: Israel agree to ceasefire Lebanon and Hamas-allied armed group Hezbollah have ended a 13-month conflict triggered by the war in Gaza. That reignited hopes for a deal in Gaza, which Biden said he would push for again with regional powers.

December 2: US President-elect Donald Trump Said he would “pay a heavy price” If the hostages still being held in Gaza are not released by the time he returns to the White House on January 20, 2025.

December 17: senior Palestinian official indirect talk It is in the “decisive final stages” and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said a deal was closer than ever.

2025

January 13: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone about negotiations in Biden’s final week in office an agreement is “Very close” He hopes to “cross the line” before Trump takes office.

January 15th: The Prime Minister of Qatar said that Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza, which will take effect on January 19. Biden said it would “stop the fighting in Gaza, provide much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and reunite hostages with their families.”