U.S. says Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal will start Sunday; credits months of diplomacy

The Secretary of State said Sunday that implementation of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement is expected to begin on Sunday after more than 15 months of negotiation involving the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

The secretary told reporters the administration "worked to broker a deal that would bring hostages home, that would stop the fighting, that would surge humanitarian aid ... and that would create the space to conclude a permanent ceasefire." He said, "We now have that, and we expect implementation of the agreement to begin on Sunday."

Why it matters: The secretary framed the agreement as the result of sustained U.S. diplomacy. He said President Biden publicly put forward a detailed framework in May that helped isolate Hamas and drew global endorsement, including a UN Security Council backing that, in the secretary's account, changed Hamas's calculus and moved it back to the negotiating table.

Details and context: The secretary named Qatar and Egypt as ‘‘extraordinary’’ mediators and singled out U.S. officials Jake Sullivan, Bill Burns and Brett McGurk for their roles in the talks. He said the U.S. and partners negotiated a phased approach in which the first phase includes a six‑week ceasefire, release of hostages and a surge of humanitarian assistance. He added that the work that follows must finalize Gaza’s transitional governance, security arrangements and reconstruction to make any halt in fighting endure.

The secretary described obstacles to a deal as including Hamas’s repeated refusals to agree in earlier rounds and the group’s strategy of embedding among civilians; he also said that actions taken by the U.S. and by other regional actors helped isolate Hamas and change the dynamics on the ground. He said, as one concrete point, that the U.S. had privately urged partners such as Qatar and Turkey to use their influence to bring Hamas back to the table.

The secretary said the United States will hand to the incoming administration the work to implement the agreement and stressed that it was important the next administration endorse carrying forward the commitments in order to assure the parties that implementation would continue.

U.S. and allied roles: The secretary said the United States rallied international support for the Biden administration's May proposal, winning endorsements that increased pressure on Hamas. He also credited diplomatic and deterrent measures directed at Iran and proxy groups for reducing the risk of a broader regional conflagration. "Our diplomacy, our deterrence really isolated Hamas to the point where they finally came back to the table," he said.

Numbers and specific references given on the record: the secretary said the mediation process lasted more than 15 months; he referenced a first phase of six weeks in the proposed framework; and he noted that several Americans remain among the hostages to be released. He did not provide a full, itemized list of hostages or a detailed implementation timetable beyond saying implementation would begin Sunday.

What remains unresolved: The secretary said the parties still must finalize and agree to post‑conflict arrangements that would govern Gaza’s security, reconstruction and the terms under which Israeli forces would withdraw and remain out. He emphasized that those details will determine whether a ceasefire is enduring.

Ending note: The secretary thanked colleagues and partners and said the agreement represented a "moment of tremendous relief for Israelis and Palestinians alike," while urging political courage and compromise to translate the initial steps into sustained progress.