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Gaza ceasefire announced after 15 months of war

Published

1 year ago

January 15, 2025

Gaza ceasefire announced after 15 months of war

Israel and Hamas have agreed a ceasefire to halt the 15-month war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages, mediators said, raising hopes of an end to a devastating conflict that has shaken the Middle East and the world beyond.

But, despite celebrations erupting across the region, the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that some details still had to be finalised as of Wednesday night.

The multiphase agreement, due to take effect on Sunday, a day before Donald Trump returns to office as US president, was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin al-Thani. However, he noted that the parties still had to give final approval.

The agreement offers hope of a halt — and potentially an end — to a brutal war that has become the deadliest chapter in the decades-long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leaving Gaza in ruins, consuming Israeli society, and pushing the Middle East to the brink of a full-blown war.

The fighting was triggered by Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, during which fighters from the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 people, and took 250 hostage, in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Israel responded with a ferocious offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 46,000 people and fuelled a humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave.

Previous attempts to broker a deal to end the conflict and secure the release of the 98 mainly Israeli hostages still in Gaza — not all of whom are alive — had repeatedly foundered when Israel and Hamas refused to make the necessary concessions.

Supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the October 7 2023 attack by Hamas © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

But the re-election of Trump — who threatened that there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages were not released before his inauguration — injected renewed momentum into the long-stalled talks.

Trump was among the first leaders to hail the deal on Wednesday, writing on his Truth Social platform ahead of the formal announcement: “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY.”

He added his national security team would “continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven”.

In comments of his own hailing the deal, US President Joe Biden described the Doha-based talks as “one of the toughest negotiations I have ever experienced”.

He added that the agreement would “halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity”.

But Netanyahu’s office said shortly after Trump’s announcement that there were “still several sections left open in the proposal and we hope that the details will be finalised tonight”.

A person close to the talks said a deal had been done after the Qatari prime minister had met Hamas and Israeli negotiators separately in a final push for an agreement.

But the person added that, while Hamas had agreed to the deal, conceding on one of its final demands, Israel had since “raised a new outstanding issue”. They said: “Mediators are working to resolve it.”

An Israeli official said that the final details which Netanyahu’s office said still needed to be finalised related to the identity of those Palestinian prisoners set to be released in exchange for hostages.

Israel’s government is due to vote on the deal, which is based on a three-phase proposal first outlined by Biden last year. Far-right ministers, including national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have expressed opposition, but are not expected to be able to block the deal.

The first phase will involve a 42-day truce, during which 33 Israeli hostages — including children, all female prisoners, the sick and elderly — will be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and a dramatic increase in humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza.

The two parties would begin negotiating the second phase no later than day 16 of the truce. During this period the remaining hostages, including male soldiers, are meant to be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.

If fully implemented, the second phase will also lead to a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

The final phase would involve the return of all the bodies of hostages who died, and the reconstruction of Gaza, under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the UN.

The talks over a deal intensified in mid-December after a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah in Lebanon.

A senior Biden administration official said one issue impeding the completion of the talks was Hamas’s refusal to acknowledge how many hostages it was holding and which ones would come out in the first phase of a deal.

The Palestinian group agreed at the end of December to a list of some 33 hostages, accelerating the end of the talks.

Biden’s top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk was joined in the last days of the talks by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. A senior Biden administration official called it “a historic and crucial partnership” to finalise the arrangements.

The talks ran into the early hours of Wednesday, with McGurk, Witkoff and Egyptian and Qatari officials upstairs with the Israeli negotiators, and Hamas downstairs, nailing down dozens of final details.

Abu Shukri, a community organiser sheltering in the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, said people in the neighbourhood had lined the streets and balconies in anticipation of the announcement of the ceasefire deal. As news reached them, people shouted and shot in the air in celebration.

“We just thank God,” Abu Shukri said of the news. “But we’ve given our children, we gave our parents.”

Additional reporting by Malaika Tapper in Beirut and Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv

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Explosion at Lumber Mill in Searsmont, Maine, Draws Large Emergency Response

Published

6 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Explosion at Lumber Mill in Searsmont, Maine, Draws Large Emergency Response

An explosion and fire drew a large emergency response on Friday to a lumber mill in the Midcoast region of Maine, officials said.

The State Police and fire marshal’s investigators responded to Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, about 72 miles northeast of Portland, said Shannon Moss, a spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Mike Larrivee, the director of the Waldo County Regional Communications Center, said the number of victims was unknown, cautioning that “the information we’re getting from the scene is very vague.”

“We’ve sent every resource in the county to that area, plus surrounding counties,” he said.

Footage from the scene shared by WABI-TV showed flames burning through the roof of a large structure as heavy, dark smoke billowed skyward.

The Associated Press reported that at least five people were injured, and that county officials were considering the incident a “mass casualty event.”

Catherine Robbins-Halsted, an owner and vice president at Robbins Lumber, told reporters at the scene that all of the company’s employees had been accounted for.

Gov. Janet T. Mills of Maine said on social media that she had been briefed on the situation and urged people to avoid the area.

“I ask Maine people to join me in keeping all those affected in their thoughts,” she said.

Representative Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine, said on social media that he was aware of the fire and explosion.

“As my team and I seek out more information, I am praying for the safety and well-being of first responders and everyone else on-site,” he said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Woman killed in Atlanta Beltline stabbing identified

Published

8 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Woman killed in Atlanta Beltline stabbing identified

article

Crime scene tape surrounds a bicycle in front of St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Atlanta on May 14, 2026. (SKYFOX 5)

ATLANTA – The woman stabbed to death on the Beltline has been identified as 23-year-old Alyssa Paige, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner.

The backstory:

Paige was killed by a 21-year-old man Thursday afternoon while she was on the Beltline. Officials confirmed to FOX 5 that the stabbing happened near the 1700 block of Flagler Avenue NE.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department was alerted around 12:10 p.m. that a woman had been stabbed just north of the Montgomery Ferry Drive overpass. She was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital where she later died. Another person was also stabbed during the incident, but their condition remains unknown.

According to officers, the man responsible attacked a U.S. Postal worker prior to the stabbing before getting away on a bike. He then used that bike to flee the scene of the stabbing as well.

The suspect was arrested near St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Peachtree Street in Midtown around 5:25 p.m.

What we don’t know:

While officials haven’t released an official motive, they noted the man may have been suffering a mental health crisis.

The Source: Information in this article came from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office and previous FOX 5 reporting.

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Man Charged With Posting Bomb Instructions Used in New Orleans Attack

Published

18 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Man Charged With Posting Bomb Instructions Used in New Orleans Attack

Federal prosecutors have filed charges against a former Army serviceman they accused of distributing instructions on how to build explosives that were used by a man who conducted a deadly attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day last year.

The former serviceman, Jordan A. Derrick, a 40-year-old from Missouri, was charged with one count of engaging in the business of manufacturing explosive materials without a license; one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device; and one count of distributing information relating to manufacturing explosives, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday. The three charges together carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

Starting in September 2023, the authorities said, Mr. Derrick was using various social media sites to share videos of himself making explosive materials, including detonators. His videos provided step-by-step instructions, and he often engaged with viewers in comments, sometimes answering their questions about the chemistry behind the explosives.

The authorities said that Mr. Derrick’s videos were downloaded by Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, who was accused of ramming a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025, in a terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens. Mr. Jabbar was killed in a shootout with the police. Before the attack, Mr. Jabbar had placed two explosives on Bourbon Street, the authorities said, but they did not detonate.

The authorities later recovered two laptops and a USB drive in a house that Mr. Jabbar had rented. The USB drive contained several videos created by Mr. Derrick that provided instructions on making explosives. The authorities said the explosives they recovered were consistent with the ones Mr. Derrick had posted about.

Mr. Derrick’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Derrick was a combat engineer in the Army, where he provided personnel and vehicle support, the authorities said. He also helped supervise safety personnel during demolitions and various operations. He was honorably discharged in February 2013.

The authorities did not say whether Mr. Derrick had any communication with Mr. Jabbar, or whether the men had known each other. In some of Mr. Derrick’s videos and comments, he indicated that he was aware that his videos could be misused.

“There are a plethora of uh, moral, you know, entanglements with topics, any topic of teaching explosives, right?” he asked in one video, according to the affidavit. “Of course, the wrong people could get it.”

The authorities also said that an explosion occurred at a private residence in Odessa, Mo., on May 4, and the occupant of the residence told investigators that he had manufactured explosives after watching online tutorials from Mr. Derrick.

Mr. Derrick’s YouTube account had more than 15,000 subscribers and 20 published videos, the affidavit said. He had also posted content on other platforms, including Odysee and Patreon. Some videos were accessible to the public for free, while others required a paid subscription to view.

“My responsibility to my countrymen is to make sure that I serve the function of the Second Amendment to strengthen it,” Mr. Derrick said in one of his videos, according to the affidavit. “This is how I serve my country for real.”

Outside of the income he received through content creation, Mr. Derrick did not have any known employment. He did receive a monthly disability check from Veterans Affairs, the affidavit stated.