Summary

Media caption,

Watch: How people in Gaza and Israel responded to the ceasefire deal

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  1. Israel delays vote to approve Gaza ceasefire dealpublished at 21:28 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 21:28 16 January

    A long stretch of a street market with surrounding damaged buildings and a grey sky aboveImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    A view of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip this week

    We're pausing our live coverage after Israel delayed a vote to approve the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

    Here are the latest developments from the past 24 hours:

    • A ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was reached yesterday after 15 months of negotiations, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a vote to approve it
    • Netanyahu accused Hamas of backtracking on the deal - Hamas said it was committed to the deal, but the BBC's Rushdi Abualouf hears the group is attempting a last-minute push for the release of certain prisoners
    • Israeli media reported that the cabinet was expected to meet on Friday to approve the deal and that the alleged issue had been resolved
    • Israel's Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said his right-wing party would resign if the deal was ratified, but a majority of Israeli ministers are expected to back the deal
    • More than 80 people were killed by Israeli air strikes overnight since the ceasefire announcement, according to the Hamas-run health ministry - Israel says it struck 50 targets
    • Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages. More than 46,788 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry

    We are pausing our live coverage for now. You can keep up with all the latest news below:

  2. Ceasefire would allow 600 trucks a day into Gaza - World Food Programmepublished at 21:09 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 21:09 16 January

    Six big white lotties in a queue on a roadImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Aid convoys have been making their way to the Gaza border in anticipation of the deal coming into force

    Antoine Renard, spokesman for the World Food Programme (WFP), says people in Gaza deserve to get back on their feet after 15 months of aid restrictions.

    For context: Before 7 October attack, 500 aid trucks entered Gaza every day, according to the UN, which dropped to nine a day in the period after the war began. At the beginning of January it was averaging 51 truckloads daily.

    Earlier, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel should completely stop aid entering the Gaza Strip until hostages return - at the same time threatening to resign from government if the ceasefire deal is ratified.

    Renard says the WFP has been providing only a third of the rations that people are supposed to have, and have been forced to stop key bakeries running because of a lack of fuel.

    The ceasefire deal would allow 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza each day, including 50 carrying fuel - which Renard calls a "lifeline" for the "2.2m people who rely on assistance".

  3. Israeli opposition pledges support to Netanyahu over dealpublished at 20:54 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 20:54 16 January

    Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has pledged his support to Prime Minister Netanyahu after Israel's security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his party will resign from the government if it approves the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

    Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, posted on X: "I say to Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t be afraid or intimidated, you will get every safety net you need to make the hostage deal.

    "This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had."

  4. Israeli security minister's stance leaves Netanyahu vulnerablepublished at 20:38 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 20:38 16 January

    Jonah Fisher
    Reporting from Jerusalem

    This announcement from Ben-Gvir is him distancing himself from the deal - but unwilling to take the nuclear option - to try and bring down Netanyahu.

    The ceasefire deal is still likely to be voted through by a majority in Netanyahu’s security cabinet and government.

    But it's left Israel’s prime minister looking vulnerable.

    All eyes are now on the other far-right party in Netanyahu’s government, the Religious Zionist party, which is led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Ben-Gvir urged him to join him in leaving the government.

    That would turn Netanyahu’s government into a minority administration and extremely fragile.

    Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit or "Jewish Power" party is on the extreme far-right in Israel with racist and anti-Arab policies.

    In recent days Ben-Gvir has claimed to have thwarted previous attempts to have ended the war in Gaza and has been arguing that the IDF should continue fighting until a complete military victory over Hamas is achieved.

  5. A quick catch-up on the past 24 hourspublished at 20:11 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 20:11 16 January

    A lot has happened since the ceasefire deal was announced yesterday. Let's take a look at how the deal was agreed on and what's happened since:

    • US and Qatari officials said a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was reached yesterday evening, following months of negotiations brokered alongside Egypt
    • The ceasefire is expected to come into effect on Sunday and will happen in three stages - you can read the details of the plan in our explainer
    • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was scheduled to vote on the deal today, but postponed these plans after Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on elements of deal, a claim Hamas rejects
    • Israeli reports say issues with the deal have been resolved by negotiators in Qatar and the Israeli cabinet is expected to meet tomorrow to give final approval
    • The Israeli military continued its strikes on Gaza overnight and into today, with the Hamas-run health ministry saying 81 people were killed in the past 24 hours - Israel says 50 targets were struck
    • Far-right members of Netanyahu's coalition, including Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have threatened to resign from government if the deal is ratified

    We'll continue bringing you the latest developments as we receive them.

    Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a houseImage source, Reuters
  6. Party won't topple government if deal approved, but won't participate - Ben-Gvirpublished at 19:37 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    Breaking
    published at 19:37 16 January
    Breaking

    Ben-Gvir says that if the government votes through the deal, his party will not topple his government - but they will not be part of it.

    He calls on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "not take us backwards", and asks him to stop the "terrible" deal. Instead, Ben-Gvir wants the government to take steps that will lead to the release of the hostages and victory in the war.

    With that, he concludes his comments.

  7. Ben-Gvir: Party will resign if parliament votes in favour of dealpublished at 19:32 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    Breaking
    published at 19:32 16 January
    Breaking

    Ben-Gvir wearing a black suit and red tie, speaking at a news conference with his arms raised

    Ben-Gvir says that the ceasefire agreement is "terrible".

    He says his party will resign if Israel's parliament votes in favour of the deal. "This is a terrible deal and if it will actually go through, we members of Otzma Yehudit will give letters of resignation to the prime minister, we will no longer be part of the government and we will leave it."

    Ben-Gvir adds that if the war is "renewed" to defeat Hamas, "we will offer to return".

  8. Ben-Gvir begins press conferencepublished at 19:27 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 19:27 16 January

    Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has taken to the podium.

    He starts by saying the ceasefire deal is "terrible" because it includes the release of "hundreds of murderers" and requires Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor.

  9. Israeli security minister expected to give statement shortlypublished at 18:40 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 18:40 16 January

    We're expecting a statement from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

    Ben-Gvir, part of the hardline right-wing faction of the government, has threatened to quit the government coalition if a ceasefire deal were to go ahead.

    Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also threatened to leave the government coalition if the ceasefire goes ahead, with the chair of his Religious Zionist party telling the BBC today that the group is actively discussing this.

    Their departure could prompt fresh elections in Israel, but would not block the ceasefire deal if Netanyahu wants it to happen, observers say.

    We'll bring you all the key lines from Ben-Gvir's statement, so stay with us.

    Itamar Ben-Gvir, pictured last monthImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Itamar Ben-Gvir, pictured last month

  10. Cabinet will vote on deal tomorrow, Israeli official tells AFPpublished at 17:54 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 17:54 16 January

    There are more reports that the Israeli cabinet vote on the ceasefire deal has been pushed back to tomorrow

    When asked if the cabinet would meet on Friday to vote on the deal, an official told the AFP news agency: "Yes."

    As a reminder, the Israeli cabinet had been due to meet earlier today to vote - but this was delayed after Israel accused Hamas of trying to change the terms of the deal. Hamas denied this and said it was committed to the terms of the deal.

  11. Deal issues resolved in Qatar and cabinet vote tomorrow, reports saypublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 17:46 16 January

    We're seeing reports from Israel indicating that issues preventing the ceasefire deal being finalised today have been resolved by negotiators in Qatar.

    The BBC has also spoken to a Palestinian source, who confirms this to be the case.

    According to Israeli media, the cabinet will meet tomorrow to give the deal final approval, ahead of it coming into effect on Sunday.

  12. Blinken pushes back on claim Trump's pressure got deal over linepublished at 17:41 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 17:41 16 January

    Tom Bateman
    Reporting from the State Department briefing room

    The “farewell” news conference of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just wrapped up.

    He expressed his confidence that the ceasefire, once in place, would persist.

    Asked about US President-elect Donald Trump’s involvement, he paid tribute to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who joined the negotiations in Qatar's capital of Doha at the end. But he pushed back at the claim it was only Trump’s pressure that got the deal over the line, saying it was the work by US President Joe Biden and his teams that did it.

    Blinken revealed that at one point that during the negotiations, he told the Qataris directly that Hamas’ political office was “no longer welcome” in Doha, which precipitated their move to Turkey in November.

    I pressed Blinken on whether he was pushing Israel to now end its ban on international journalists entering Gaza, to which he said “yes”, adding: “I fully expect that to happen, especially in the context of the ceasefire."

  13. Grief and loss continues as families hope for trucepublished at 17:34 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 17:34 16 January

    Adnan El-Bursh
    Gaza correspondent, reporting from Doha

    Just hours ago, my cousin’s home was bombed, killing my childhood friend Marwan Al-Bursh and his eldest son Salah.

    I thought the ceasefire might bring an end to news of loss, but it keeps happening - as though this brief window before the truce begins has become an open invitation for more destruction.

    My brother, displaced and living in a torn and weathered tent in Khan Younis, speaks of the bitter cold and the constant fear that grips his children. Their tent, exposed to the sea, barely shields them from the freezing winds. Like so many others, he dreams of returning to the north, to our hometown in Jabalia, but even that hope feels distant.

    The agreement stipulates that the return of displaced families can only begin a week after the truce takes hold, prolonging the pain of waiting.

    This fragile peace comes with lingering questions about Gaza's future. Who will rebuild Gaza? What will become of its people? And will this ceasefire truly hold, or is it destined to collapse like others before it?

    For now, hope is overshadowed by the weight of grief, and the looming possibility of unfulfilled promises leaves hearts heavy with doubt.

  14. Delay robbing families of chance to embrace ceasefire as realitypublished at 17:30 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 17:30 16 January

    Adnan El-Bursh
    Gaza correspondent, reporting from Doha

    The announcement of a ceasefire agreement brought a surge of cautious hope to Palestinians, who have endured over a year of unrelenting war marked by devastation and despair.

    For many, this news felt like the first flicker of light after months of darkness - a potential end to what they describe as a "campaign of annihilation".

    Yet, this relief is tempered by fear. The agreement does not take effect immediately, leaving a precarious three-day window during which violence has escalated dramatically.

    In just 24 hours, over 80 lives were lost, with more than 200 injured, as Israel intensified its military operations.

    The delay in implementation has turned these days into a painful extension of suffering, robbing families of the chance to embrace the ceasefire as a tangible reality.

  15. Ceasefire deal is bittersweet, says killed hostage's cousinpublished at 17:06 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 17:06 16 January

    Mallory Moench
    Live reporter

    Carmel Gat smiling at the camera. She has brown eyes and curly brown hair tied on top of her head. She is wearing blue and turquoise earrings.Image source, Hostages and Missing Families Forum / Reuters

    Carmel Gat was taken hostage on 7 October 2023, before she was shot and killed by Hamas, Israel said in September.

    Her cousin, Gil Dickmann, tells the BBC the ceasefire deal is “bittersweet” - given she had been due to be released in two previous ceasefire deals which failed.

    Dickmann is “really happy” for other families of hostages who feel like his own, but angry that a version of the deal was introduced by US President Joe Biden in May, saying “I totally blame my government” it didn’t go through.

    Hamas and Israel blamed each other for delays. He believes "the Trump effect" - referring to the incoming US president - sealed the deal.

    He is also concerned the deal’s first stage will only release 33 hostages. Negotiations for the second stage, which would free remaining living hostages, will start on the 16th day of the ceasefire, which he said is “too late“.

    “As a [relative] of a hostage who was murdered in captivity because a deal didn’t come in time, we need to make sure and we deserve to know that no more hostages are going to be killed for this reason.”

  16. Hamas spokesman denies reneging on Gaza ceasefire dealpublished at 16:47 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 16:47 16 January

    Hamas official Bassem NaimImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Bassem Naim says Hamas is "fully committed" to the deal

    A Hamas spokesman says the group did not renege on its commitments as part of the ceasefire agreement, disputing claims by Israel that Hamas had made last-minute changes.

    Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newshour programme, Bassem Naim, the head of Hamas' political and international relations, says: "We are fully committed to the deal... This is the deal of May 2024 which we have accepted and agreed upon, and at that time it was rejected by Netanyahu and his government".

    He went on to blame the Israeli prime minister's political troubles on the delay to the signing of the ceasefire, saying Netanyahu is "trying to sabotage the positive atmosphere".

    Asked about Hamas' future in Gaza, Naim says the group was prepared to hold elections in the territory.

    Pressed on whether Hamas would accept the results of an election that rejected them, he says: "We are part of the Palestinian people... We are ready to give the people the choice to choose their leadership."

  17. Another heckler disrupts Blinken's news conferencepublished at 16:40 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 16:40 16 January

    Tom Bateman
    Reporting from US State Department briefing room

    After the last protest here during US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's briefing, there’s been another.

    An independent reporter has just been dragged out of the room by security officials.

    He interrupted Blinken’s speech several times, claiming that he had been denied the opportunity to ask any questions and shouted, accusing the diplomat of being a "war criminal" as he was being pulled away.

    Watch the clip of the moment below:

    Media caption,

    Reporter removed after interrupting Blinken's last speech

  18. 'How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?' - heckler asks Blinkenpublished at 16:32 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 16:32 16 January

    Tom Bateman
    Reporting from State Department briefing room

    Here in the US State Department briefing room, the start of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s "farewell" news conference has just been interrupted by a heckler from the press seats.

    I just watched as a man three rows behind me shouted at Blinken: "How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?"

    He continued for some time, filming himself and the podium, shouting: "Three-hundred reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs."

    The protester was escorted out of the room by State Department officials before Blinken said: "I’ve got a few more things to say [then] I'm happy to take any questions about anything, as we've done these past four years."

  19. BBC Verify

    How Gaza casualties are calculatedpublished at 16:21 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 16:21 16 January

    By Matt Murphy

    According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, 46,788 people have died since Israel launched its military operations in October 2023.

    The figures don't distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told BBC Verify it has killed 17,000 Hamas fighters as of September 2024. It has not explained how it established that figure.

    Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the health ministry's information unit, explained to the BBC that a death is recorded when a body has been transported to a hospital and has been declared dead by medical professionals.

    In addition, the ministry has created an online portal for families to report the deaths of loved ones not recorded by hospital authorities, which officials then seek to verify.

    In both cases, only those holding a valid ID number are added to the official figures.

    Al-Wahidi told the BBC in September that this methodology could lead to an underestimate, as many of those killed in conflict zones could be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

    Israel insists that the figures provided by the health ministry are not reliable, but has not provided any evidence to support this claim.

    A recent paper published in British medical journal the Lancet suggested that the true death toll could be as high as 64,260 as of June 2024. The Gaza health ministry had reported 37,877 deaths by the end of June.

  20. International community reacts to ceasefire dealpublished at 16:13 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January
    published at 16:13 16 January

    Here's a quick round-up of what international leaders are saying about the ceasefire deal:

    • Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said the agreement comes "after more than a year of strenuous efforts" by Egypt and others. He stressed the importance of accelerating "urgent" aid into Gaza "until sustainable peace is achieved"
    • Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said his country's role in negotiating the ceasefire was its "diplomatic duty", adding that he hopes the deal "will contribute to ending the aggression, destruction and killing" in Gaza
    • The South Africa Government calls for "a just and lasting peace that ensures the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis are protected and promoted"
    • Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said it is ready to play its part in the "stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza"

    You can find what UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had to say earlier here.