Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Live Updates: 77 more Gazans killed in Israeli strikes after ceasefire deal as delayed cabinet meet likely Friday

US secretary of state, Antony Blinken held a news conference on Thursday, where he said he expected the ceasefire agreement to go into effect on Sunday.

“On the ceasefire, I am confident,” he replied. “I fully expect that implementation will begin … on Sunday.”

He noted that the process of negotiations has been “challenging” and that “you may get a loose end.”

"We’re tying up that loose end as we speak. I’ve been on the phone in one way or another all morning with [White House Middle East adviser'] Brett McGurk, with our Qatari friends, and I’m very confident that we will [see this] moving forward, and that we’ll see the start of the implementation of the agreement on Sunday. "

“As President Biden said yesterday, after more than 400 days of struggle, a day of success has arrived,” he said, describing it as a “moment of tremendous relief for Israelis and Palestinians alike”.

Blinken said it would take “tremendous effort, political courage, compromise” to ensure that the deal endures.

Israel said it had delayed holding a cabinet meeting on Thursday to ratify a ceasefire with Hamas, blaming the militant group for the hold-up, as Palestinian authorities said Israeli airstrikes overnight had killed 77 people in Gaza.

Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq said the group remained committed to the ceasefire deal, agreed a day earlier, that was scheduled to take effect from Sunday to bring an end to 15-months of bloodshed.

President Joe Biden's envoy Brett McGurk and President-elect Donald J Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff were in Doha with Egyptian and Qatari mediators working to resolve the last remaining dispute, a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The dispute involves the identities of several prisoners Hamas is demanding be released and it is expected to be resolved soon, the US official said.

-Reuters

The final disputes holding up a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas have been resolved, Axios reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed US official. Axios did not provide details.

Israel said it had delayed holding a cabinet meeting on Thursday to ratify a ceasefire with Hamas, blaming the militant group for the hold-up. The hold-up involves the identities of several prisoners Hamas is demanding be released and it is expected to be resolved soon, a US official earlier said.

-Reuters

The World Health Organization called for the international community to step up and fund a scaled-up aid response in Gaza after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal to end 15 months of war in the region earlier this week.

The UN health agency said its member states, donors and the global community, including the private sector, should support both the urgent health needs and the longer-term rebuilding of Gaza's healthcare system.

"The UN cannot deliver the response alone," said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Part of the ceasefire deal requires 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza every day.

Peeperkorn said WHO was ready to deliver, although the "significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza" need to be removed.

"Now is the time for member states, donors and the global community to step up and provide flexible funding to enable this swift and effective response for urgent and longer term needs," he said.

-Reuters

Germany's Lufthansa Group is set to resume flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel from Feb 1 and Wizz Air restarted its London to Tel Aviv route on Thursday, the companies said following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Many Western carriers cancelled flights to swaths of West Asia in recent months, including Beirut and Tel Aviv, as conflict tore across the region.

Airlines also avoided Iraqi and Iranian airspace out of fear of getting accidentally caught in drone or missile warfare.

Wizz Air also resumed flights to Amman, Jordan starting on Thursday from London Luton airport.

Lufthansa Group carriers Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss were included in Lufthansa's decision to resume flights to Tel Aviv.

Ryanair said it was hoping to run a full summer schedule to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv in an interview with Reuters last week, before the ceasefire deal was announced.

- Reuters

Trucks carrying aid line up near the Rafah border, waiting to cross into the Gaza Strip, following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Al Arish, Egypt, January 16, 2025. (Reuters Photo)

Israel airstrikes killed at least 77 people in Gaza overnight on Thursday, residents and authorities in the enclave said, hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced to bring an end to 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

The complex ceasefire accord emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US to stop the war that has devastated the coastal territory and inflamed West Asia.

The deal, scheduled to be implemented from Sunday, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages taken by militant group Hamas, which controls the enclave, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

The deal also paves the way for a surge in humanitarian aid for Gaza, where the majority of the population has been displaced and is facing acute food shortages, food security experts warned late last year.

Rows of aid trucks were lined up in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish waiting to cross into Gaza, once the border is reopened.

- Reuters

Following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement to pause the ongoing war, Israel’s security cabinet has delayed its meeting to approve the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with Hamas in Gaza. On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of seeking “last-minute concessions” after reportedly reneging on certain aspects of the agreement. Netanyahu stated, “The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”

Funerals are ongoing in the Gaza Strip for those killed in Israeli strikes, despite the recently announced ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas. Among the deceased is journalist Ahmad Vasshah, whose funeral was held at Nasser Hospital in Deir al-Balah, The Guardian reported.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 165 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since October 7, 2023. The CPJ states this marks “the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.”

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday described the ceasefire in Gaza as a "great victory" for Palestinian resistance and cautioned against any potential violations by Israel.

The agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by mediators, is set to take effect on Sunday. It includes provisions for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza during 15 months of conflict that have ravaged the enclave and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians. (Reuters)

Reports of deadly attacks on Gaza persist as the Israeli military bombed an apartment building near the Shaabiya intersection in the Daraj neighbourhood of central Gaza City.

According to Shehab News Agency and the Palestinian Information Center, at least four people have been killed, as reported by The Guardian.

Israel’s cabinet is expected to meet on Thursday to approve a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, following an announcement by mediators on Wednesday about an agreement aimed at bringing a permanent end to the Gaza war, Israeli media reports indicate.

The truce, which is set to take effect on Sunday, will involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, with further discussions on a broader peace deal to follow.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude to US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump for their assistance in securing the deal but cautioned that "final details" were still being worked out. Netanyahu also mentioned on Thursday morning that Hamas may have backtracked on an earlier agreement regarding the ceasefire, suggesting that there could be hurdles to implementing the deal. While President Isaac Herzog supported the agreement, two of Netanyahu’s ministers—far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir—publicly opposed the deal, labelling it dangerous for Israel’s security and a “disastrous” decision.

India on Thursday welcomes the announcement of an agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

"We welcome the announcement of the agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. We hope this will lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. We have consistently called for release of all hostages, ceasefire, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy."

The ceasefire agreement is set to take effect on Sunday, but reports from Gaza indicate that Israeli forces have intensified their attacks on the territory in the interim.

According to the Hamas-led Palestinian Civil Defence, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 20 people since the ceasefire deal was announced. Among the incidents reported was an attack on a residential building in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, which resulted in 12 fatalities and 20 injuries. The Israeli military has yet to respond to these allegations.

Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif described the situation as "terrifying," noting a significant escalation in bombing activity in recent hours, according to The Guardian reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, in a formal announcement, said that PM will officially announce the ceasefire agreement with Gaza based Hamas militant group after the final details of the agreement, which it says are currently being worked on, are completed.

The ceasefire deal, which has been accepted by Israel and Hamas, will come into effect on January 19.

US PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: “We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” Trump said in a second post.

QATAR: Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, confirmed the finalisation of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, set to take effect on Sunday, 19 January.

“We hope this will be the end of a dark chapter of war,” Sheikh Mohammed said, stressing the need for both parties to fully commit to the agreement.

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES: “The United Nations stands ready to support the implementation of this deal and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer,” he told reporters.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER: “After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for,” Starmer said in an emailed statement.

US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: “I can announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said at the White House.

“Fighting in Gaza will stop, and soon the hostages return home to their families.”

TURKEY: In a post on X, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed his government’s hope that “the agreement will be beneficial for our region and all of humanity, especially our Palestinian brothers, and that it will open the door to lasting peace and stability.”

EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT ABDEL FATTAH AL-SISI: He welcomed the Gaza ceasefire deal, according to a post on X, and stressed the importance of a fast delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas had been reached, marking an end to the fighting in Gaza and allowing for a significant increase in humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.

“I can announce a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said from the White House. “Fighting in Gaza will stop, and soon the hostages return home to their families,” he added.

Biden noted that his team and the incoming Trump administration’s spoke as “one team” in negotiating the ceasefire deal reached Wednesday as he thanked those involved with striking the high stakes deal between Israel and Hamas.

(Read more from the report)

As the ceasefire agreement was finalised and signed between Israel and Hamas, US President-elect Donald Trump said that the "epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November".

In a signal to the world, Trump said that his victory in the US presidential election in November meant that his administration "would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies".

Trump, who is all set to take oath of US President's office again on January 20, says that he is "thrilled" that both American and Israeli hostages will be returning home.

According to Palestinian civil defence, at least 12 people were killed and several others were wounded in shelling in a residential block of the northern Gaza strip.

The shelling, which continues just when a historic ceasefire agreement was signed between Israel and Hamas militant group, took place early on Thursday.

Israel-Hamas deal is set to come into effect from January 19 onwards.

US President Joe Biden, during a speech at the White House said that the hostages held for around 15 months will return to their families, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire agreement.

Biden, who adds that the 15 month of suffering is due to end with the agreement, says that “my diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”

"It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Biden said.

The historic signing of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza based Hamas militant group was confirmed by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Wednesday, where in he said that it is a 'permanent ceasefire'.

Qatari PM added that 33 Israeli hostages will be released in the first phase of the ceasefire which will begin from January 19.

An agreement to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians struggling in the Gaza strip was also announced by the Qatar PM during the press briefing.