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U.S. says ceasefire between Israel and Hamas reached; pledges surge of humanitarian aid and outlines next phases
Summary
State Department spokesperson Matt said an agreement for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced and that the United States, with Egypt and Qatar, will serve as guarantors; the U.S. plans a large humanitarian surge into Gaza and will hand a "day after" plan to the incoming administration.
State Department spokesperson Matt said earlier today that the governments of Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire based on a proposal the United States laid out in May, and that the United States, Egypt and Qatar will act as guarantors as negotiations move from the first phase into later phases.
Matt said the ceasefire "will bring immediate relief to the people of both Gaza and Israel" and that hostages would begin to return in the coming days. He described the U.S. role as having conceived the proposal, built international support — including endorsement by the United Nations Security Council — and applied diplomatic pressure that left Hamas isolated.
The spokesperson said the agreement covers a first phase (a ceasefire and immediate humanitarian steps) and that governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza will be negotiated in later phases. He said the United States is committed that "Hamas never again resumes governing Gaza" and called that a likely deal breaker for Israel.
On humanitarian aid, Matt said the administration is preparing "a massive infusion of trucks" and set a target of "over 500 trucks a day" into Gaza once the ceasefire is implemented. He said the key logistical obstacle is the "last mile" distribution inside Gaza and that warehouses that remain could be reactivated; aid delivery will be run largely through U.N. agencies and nongovernmental partners.
Matt also described operational continuity with the incoming U.S. team as important to reassure mediators and parties in the negotiations. "One of the things we have always said about this deal is that when you get from stage 1 to stage 2 ... the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are the guarantors of this deal," he said, adding that continuity between outgoing and incoming U.S. envoys helped secure commitments.
He said seven Americans remain held in Gaza: four believed alive and three believed deceased, and that details about their return will be shared with families first and then the public. Matt said the ceasefire agreement takes effect on Sunday and that the United States will be part of humanitarian planning meetings in Cairo.
The spokesperson emphasized that phase 2 and the longer-term "day after" reconstruction and governance plan are distinct from the immediate ceasefire and would require regional contributions and political decisions that the incoming U.S. administration will be asked to carry forward.
Less critical details included repeated reporter questioning about whether the incoming administration would sustain pressure to move the agreement into later phases; Matt said he could not speak for the incoming team but argued it would be in their interest to do so.
The briefing closed with Matt thanking bureau teams and the press corps for the daily exchanges that inform policy.
