At least 66 dead in Turkish ski resort hotel fire

(LONDON) — A ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hamas, with the Qatari prime minister announcing the deal Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. Israeli forces also remain active inside the Syrian border region as victorious rebels there build a transitional government.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.

116 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since ceasefire announced

At least 116 Palestinians have been killed and 264 injured since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced on Wednesday.

Israeli cabinet approves ceasefire deal

The Israeli cabinet met Friday and voted to approve a ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel.

The deal now needs approval from the government before it is ratified by Israel.

The ceasefire is on track to go into effect on Sunday.

Israeli cabinet meeting after Netanyahu says there is a deal

The Israeli cabinet is currently meeting to to discuss and ratify the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas.

“The political-security cabinet discussion began at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem,” read a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released on Friday. “Earlier, an operational security situation assessment was held regarding the implementation of the agreement, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with the negotiating team that returned from Doha.”

If a deal is reached, Netanyahu’s office said that hostages could be released as early as Sunday, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Hostage release could begin as soon as Sunday

Hostages could be released as early as Sunday, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

“Subject to approval by the Cabinet and the government, and the entry into force of the agreement – the release of the hostages can be realized according to the planned outline, in which the hostages are expected to be released as early as Sunday,” the statement read.

Netanyahu’s cabinet has yet to vote on the agreement and a vote has been delayed twice so far on Friday morning.

Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency has said that more than 100 Palestinian’s have died since the initial announcement on Wednesday.

Netanyahu says hostage deal has been reached

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was informed by the negotiating team that “agreements have been reached on a deal to release the hostages,” his office said in a statement.

Netanyahu’s security cabinet will meet Friday, the statement added. Then, Netanyahu’s cabinet will convene to “approve the deal,” the statement said.

The hostage families have been informed of the agreement, and preparations are being made for their return, the statement said.

86 Palestinians killed in IDF strike since deal announced

At least 86 Palestinians have been killed and 250 others were injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the ceasefire agreement was announced on Wednesday.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it has hit at least 50 targets for the second day in a row.

Israel preparing for return of hostages

Israel is preparing for the return of hostages, with its rehabilitation department and the Israel Defense Forces on full alert, according to the Ministry of Defense.

“They will provide all necessary assistance and support to the returning hostages and their families in all aspects, emphasizing close medical and mental health care and support, and will enhance emotional support and guidance for all families,” the ministry said in a statement Thursday.

Israeli cabinet to ratify deal on Friday

The Israeli cabinet will meet on Friday to discuss and ratify the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas, according to a senior Israeli official.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

Ceasefire held up by Hamas demands: Israeli official

A day after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, the agreement is being held up by disagreements between the two sides, according to a senior Israeli official.

“The hold up is due to new demands by Hamas that Israel will never agree to. Among them, issues regarding Palestinian Prisoners,” an Israeli official told ABC News.

Hamas has denied that it has made more demands and said it is abiding by the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday and said the ceasefire urgently needs to be implemented.

“Regarding the claims of Netanyahu’s office, I confirm that Hamas is committed to what was agreed upon and to the ceasefire agreement that was announced by the mediators; and no amendments were added. I hope that such statements from Netanyahu’s office are not an attempt to evade their commitment to the ceasefire agreement,” a senior Hamas official told ABC News.

The two sides are also at odds over who controls the Philadelphi corridor — a stretch of land separating Gaza and Egypt. This has been a sticking point throughout months of negotiations.

Israel is accusing Hamas of making a “last minute demand to change the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi corridor,” Israeli spokesman David Mencer said at a press conference Thursday.

Israel wants to retain control of the corridor, saying it needs to do so to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

Hamas ‘desperate’ for Gaza ceasefire deal, Kirby says

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told “Good Morning America” on Thursday that Hamas is “desperate” for a ceasefire deal in Gaza after more than a year of intense fighting.

“Hamas is in a much weaker position now than they were in May when this deal got put on the table,” Kirby said of the ceasefire agreement, a version of which was tabled by President Joe Biden’s administration last summer.

“They’re also more isolated with a ceasefire with Israel and Hezbollah — they can’t count on Hezbollah coming to their aid, Iran is weaker,” Kirby said of Hamas. “There have been a lot of developments that have put Hamas in a situation where they were more desperate to get to a deal. That’s where we are.”

Pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and his team “sent a strong signal to everybody in the region,” including Hamas, the surviving hostages in Gaza and their families, Kirby acknowledged.

“This new Trump team will have to implement this deal which is why President Biden made sure we were keeping them informed and coordinating with them all the way through this process,” Kirby said.

Kirby spoke with GMA shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of trying to renege on parts of the ceasefire agreement, which is yet to be ratified by the Israeli cabinet.

“We’re confident that we’re going to be able to start implementing it on Sunday,” Kirby said, though added there are some “implementing details that still need to be ironed out” with Israel.

As to the future of Gaza, Kirby said Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in control.

“Post-conflict Gaza, all the governance that needs to happen there, meeting the aspirations of the Palestinian people, all that needs to be ironed out, and it’s going to have to be done regionally,” Kirby said.

A collective day-after plan will have to ensure that “Hamas cannot return, cannot be in power, cannot threaten Israel and yet all the aspirations for safety and security of the Palestinian people can be met, as well as those of the Israeli people.”

Of the U.S. hostages slated for possible release, Kirby said the White House knows “several that are still alive.”

“We don’t have perfect visibility on every single one, but I think we have a pretty good sense,” he added. “We know who is going to be coming out in this first tranche. There will be additional Americans coming out in follow-on tranches.

Israeli military will stay in Philadelphi corridor, source says

A senior political official confirmed to ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces will remain in the Philadelphi corridor — the strip of land separating Gaza from Egypt — throughout the first phase of the nascent ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Israeli troops will remain in the corridor throughout the first 42 days of the ceasefire process, the official said, their footprint remaining at its current size with forces deployed in “outposts, patrols, observations and control along the entire length of the axis.”

The official added that if peace talks fail during the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli forces will stay in the corridor.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

Hamas ‘committed’ to ceasefire, statement says

Hamas said on Thursday they were “committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said the organization had attended to renege on “parts” of the agreement.

-ABC News’ Nasser Atta

Israel says Hamas trying to renege on parts of deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that Hamas was attempting to renege “on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last minute concessions.”

“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” the statement said.

The Israeli cabinet is due to meet on Thursday to approve the ceasefire agreement that was announced on Wednesday. The ceasefire is due to begin on Sunday.

Officials involved in the matter told ABC News the Israeli negotiating team is still in Doha, Qatar, where negotiations have been held.

-ABC News Bruno Nota and Jordana Miller

ICRC ready to facilitate hostage releases, Gaza aid

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement it is “ready to help implement the agreement reached by the parties and bring hostages and detainees home,” as mediators and combatants in Gaza prepare for Wednesday’s ceasefire deal to come into effect on Sunday.

The ICRC has previously helped facilitate the release of 109 hostages and 154 detainees, the organization said in its statement, describing such operations as “highly complex” and requiring “meticulous logistical and security planning to minimize the risk to life.”

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said she hopes Wednesday’s agreement “marks a new beginning.”

“Civilian lives must be protected and their needs prioritized,” she added.

“The coming days are critical and we are counting on the parties to hold to their commitments. While the agreement is welcome, it is not the end. There are immense humanitarian needs that must be addressed, which will take months, if not years.”

Khamenei claims Hamas victory in ceasefire

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Gaza ceasefire deal announced Wednesday showed Israel was “forced to retreat.”

“It will be written in books that there was a mob who once killed thousands of children & women in Gaza,” Khamenei said in a post to X.

“Everyone will realize” that the patience of Palestinians and the “steadfastness” of Hamas and other militant groups delivered victory over Israel, the Iranian leader said.

2 American hostages expected to be released in 1st phase of deal: Official

Two living Americans are expected to be among the 33 hostages in Gaza released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday.

Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen are both expected to be released, with Siegel qualifying for release due to his age and Dekel-Chen because of an injury after being shot on Oct. 7, the official said.

“We’re now very hopeful that we begin to see hostages come home as early as Sunday,” the official said.

Edan Alexander, a third living American hostage, will fall in the second release phase because of his Israeli military service, the official said, adding that the U.S. remains fully committed to getting him out.

The remains of four American hostages also remain in Gaza, President Joe Biden said. The remains of deceased hostages will be returned in phase three, he said.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Kelsey Walsh

12 people killed in Gaza City bombings: Civil Defense

Twelve people were killed and at least 20 people were injured after bombings in Gaza City within the past hour, Gaza’s Civil Defense said.

The attacks were reported after the announcement of a hostage and ceasefire deal, the first phase of which isn’t set to go into effect until Sunday.

-ABC News’ Sami Zyara

Biden announces ceasefire deal

President Joe Biden released a statement saying Hamas and Israel had agreed to a deal, “after many months of intensive diplomacy,” by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

“I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council,” Biden said in the statement. “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. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”

Biden also highlighted the three living American hostages who are still being held, and the four remains of American hostages yet to be returned.

What comes next in ceasefire process?

While a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Hamas and Israeli negotiators, the Israeli government still needs to approve the deal.

The deal is expected to be approved, but it will take several votes.

Netanyahu says Philadelphi snag was resolved

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a statement that the snag about control of the Philadelphia axis — the strip of land between Gaza and Egypt — has been worked out.

However, his office said they are still working out several unresolved issues.

“In light of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s firm stance, Hamas has backed down on its demand at the last minute to change the deployment of forces on the Philadelphia axis,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “However, there are still several unresolved clauses in the outline, and we hope that the details will be finalized tonight.”

Trump celebrates ceasefire, takes credit for deal

President-elect Donald Trump immediately posted on Truth Social about the agreement on the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

He wrote, in all caps, “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”

He then also followed that up with a post taking credit for the deal, though the Biden administration has also been involved in the negotiations.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote.

Israel and Hamas reach ceasefire agreement

A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, more than 15 months into the conflict.

A new round of ceasefire negotiations began on Jan. 3 in Qatar. Delegations from Israel and Hamas were dispatched to Doha to resume the negotiations, which were brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The Biden administration also helped broker the talks.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously told reporters the United States wanted a ceasefire deal in Gaza and all remaining captives released before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Blinken on Jan. 6 reported “intensified engagement,” including by Hamas, on reaching a deal, though he added, “We are yet to see agreement on final points.”

Click here for more on the agreement.

Ceasefire deal hits last-minute snag: Israeli source

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has hit a last-minute snag, with both sides at odds over the Philadelphia axis, a piece of land separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt, according to an Israeli source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

“The Israeli negotiating team was recently informed that the Hamas terrorist organization decided at the last minute to make new demands – this time regarding the Philadelphia axis, in contrast to the maps that have already been approved by the cabinet and American mediators. Israel strongly opposes any changes to these maps,” the Israeli source told ABC News.

Hamas has given green light to ceasefire deal, sources say

Two sources close to the ceasefire negotiations tell ABC News Hamas has given the green light to the agreement.

“We are very close,” the sources said. “The goal (is) an agreement today or tomorrow.”

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

IDF attacks 50 Gaza targets as ceasefire deal nears

The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli intelligence agencies coordinated to attack around 50 targets across the Gaza Strip in the previous 24 hours, the IDF said in a Wednesday morning post to X.

The attacks targeted Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the IDF said.

It reported strikes in Gaza City in the north of the strip, Khan Younis in the south and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The targets included “terrorist cells, weapons depots, underground infrastructure, anti-tank positions and military structures,” the IDF said.

The latest wave of strikes came as ceasefire negotiators in Qatar reportedly neared a deal to pause — and eventually scale down — the 15-month-old war.

Israel, Hamas agree on core elements of Gaza ceasefire, but haggling over details: US officials

Israel and the highest ranks of Hamas have now agreed to the core elements of the hostage release-ceasefire deal on the table, but both sides are continuing to haggle over the details of the proposal, according to two officials familiar with the negotiations.

The outstanding differences are seen as relatively minor, but talks are expected to continue into Wednesday, the officials said.

Many of the items that are still being ironed out are tied to stubborn sticking points that have emerged in the past, like the operation of the Rafah border crossing and Israeli security concerns connected to the movement of displaced Palestinians back to their homes in northern Gaza.

The disagreements are unlikely to derail progress at this point, according to the officials.

Two of the three Americans that are possibly alive inside Gaza are poised to be released in the initial days or weeks of the ceasefire if an agreement is reached, but an official said they expect the releases will happen slower than they did during the truce in November 2023.

While they don’t have recent proof of life for the two Americans, the assumption is that they and most — but not all — of the 33 hostages freed under the deal will be returned alive.

-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston

Israel waiting to hear back from Hamas on ceasefire agreement

Israel is currently waiting to hear back from Hamas on the most recent draft language of a ceasefire deal, sources told ABC News.

The two sides are reportedly closer to an agreement than ever before, according to a spokesperson for Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani.

“The ongoing talks in Doha regarding Gaza are fruitful, positive and focus on the final details. Meetings are underway in Doha between the parties to the agreement and we are awaiting updates from them,” the spokesperson told ABC News.

Implementation of the agreement will begin shortly after it is announced, according to the spokesperson.

Qatar expecting ceasefire deal ‘soon’

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a Tuesday briefing that participants in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha are close to a ceasefire deal.

“We expect the agreement to be announced soon,” the spokesperson said during the press conference.

Qatar is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas and has hosted several rounds of ceasefire talks in the capital Doha.

-ABC News’ Nasser Atta

61 Palestinians killed in Gaza as ceasefire talks continue

The Gaza Ministry of Health said Tuesday that Israel Defense Forces strikes killed at least 61 Palestinians in the previous 24 hours and injured 281 more in the Hamas-run territory.

The total number of Palestinians killed since the war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, is now 46,645 with 110,012 people injured, according to the ministry.

-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian

Hamas says Gaza talks are in ‘final stages’

Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that ceasefire, prisoner and hostage release talks with Israel are in their “final stages,” adding it hopes “that this round of negotiations will end with a clear and comprehensive agreement.”

In a statement posted to the group’s website, Hamas said it held meetings and consultations with leaders of other Palestinian factions regarding the progress made in ongoing negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

“During these contacts, the leaders of the forces and factions expressed their satisfaction with the course of the negotiations, stressing the need for general national preparation for the next stage and its requirements,” Hamas said.

-ABC News’ Nasser Atta

Israel hoping for ceasefire announcement ‘soon,’ official says

An Israeli government official told ABC News on Tuesday morning they “hope we can announce something soon” regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza.

The official said there had been “real progress” on every part of the negotiation in the last few days.

The official added that Hamas has changed and they are no longer “dictating” the terms, but are negotiating. “We are close, but not there yet,” they said.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

Sirens sound in central Israel after projectile launched from Yemen: IDF

A projectile was fired from Yemen towards Israel, the IDF said in a release early Tuesday morning local time.

Sirens were sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, the IDF said.

Latest on hostages in ceasefire deal

Thirty-three hostages, living and dead, are expected to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, according to a person with direct knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.

There are 94 abductees remaining in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead, according to Israeli officials.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

‘Real chance’ of ceasefire success, source says

A source close to the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar told ABC News that Israel is waiting for Hamas to approve moving into a final “closing round of negotiations,” adding there is a “real chance” for a “breakthrough” after a diplomatic blitz in Doha this weekend.

“We still have ahead of us a closing round of negotiations,” the source added

Reuters reported Monday that mediators in Qatar handed both Israel and Hamas a final draft of the ceasefire proposal, citing an official briefed on the negotiations.

Reuters reported that the official said a breakthrough was reached after talks between Steve Witkoff — President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy — the Qatari prime minister and Israeli spy chiefs.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, meanwhile, said Monday “there is progress,” and that the situation “looks much better than previously.”

“I don’t want to say more than that because I realize there are families and they are sensitive to every word, and every sentence,” Saar added. “I hope that within a short time we will see things happening, but it is still to be proved.”

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Guy Davies

Far-right minister says potential Gaza ceasefire deal represents ‘catastrophe’

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he will not support the potential Gaza ceasefire deal currently being negotiated in Qatar, describing it as “a catastrophe for the national security of Israel.”

“We will not be part of a surrender deal that would include releasing arch terrorists, stopping the war and destroying its achievements that were bought with much blood and abandoning many hostages,” Smotrich wrote in a post to X on Monday.

“Now is the time to continue with all our might, to occupy and cleanse the entire strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders completely and all the hostages are returned.”

-ABC News’ Dana Savir

Netanyahu spoke with Biden on ceasefire and hostage deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with President Joe Biden on Sunday about progress in negotiating a ceasefire and hostage deal.

A senior White House administration official confirmed the call to ABC News.

“The Prime Minister discussed with the US President the progress in negotiations for the release of our hostages, and updated him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating delegation to Doha, in order to promote the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu’s office wrote in a release about the call.

According to the White House, Biden and Netanyahu “discussed the fundamentally changed regional circumstances following the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran’s power in the region.”

The call comes as Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the Middle East for negotiations. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that McGurk is there to hammer out the “final details” of an agreement.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Michelle Stoddart

100 days of Israel’s north Gaza assault

Sunday marked 100 days since the Israel Defense Forces launched its military operation in northern Gaza, with the toll of dead and missing Palestinians now at 5,000 people, according to a report published by the Gaza media office in the Hamas-run territory.

Some 9,500 more people have been injured and 2,600 have been detained including women and children, the report said.

Israel continues striking targets across the strip. Over the last 24 hours, IDF attacks killed 24 Palestinians, according to data published by the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The report added that 46,565 Palestinians have been killed by Israel throughout Gaza since the war began in October 2023, with another 109,660 people injured.

Israeli attacks in the north of Gaza have targeted civilian infrastructures and hospitals, which combined with a siege of the area have worsened a humanitarian crisis there.

Calling for an end to the war, the Gaza media office report urged the international community — including the UN — to take immediate action to stop the assault and address the humanitarian crisis in the strip.

Israeli strikes on Gaza continued as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched senior negotiators to Qatar for ceasefire, prisoner and hostage release talks attended by President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East adviser, Steven Witkoff, and President Joe Biden’s outgoing adviser, Brett McGurk.

-ABC News’ Samy Zyara and Jordana Miller

High-level delegations gather in Doha for Gaza talks

For the first time in months, Israeli sources are expressing cautious optimism that a Gaza ceasefire may be within reach before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Officials close to the matter told ABC News on Sunday that a high-level Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad — David Barnea — arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a critical round of talks.

Others participating are Egyptian and U.S. officials including President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East adviser, Steven Witkoff, and President Joe Biden’s outgoing adviser, Brett McGurk.

Witkoff made a surprise visit to Israel Saturday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, progress on some issues has been made — including the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released and the details of the Israel Defense Forces’ redeployment.

But some outstanding issues remain, including whether Hamas can provide Israel with a list of hostages who are alive. A Hamas official told Saudi media on Saturday that the group is ready to show flexibility.

The first phase of the deal is expected to last six to eight weeks, as the report suggests. A leaked hostage list by Hamas shows the names of two Americans to be released in the first phase. Seven Americans are among the 94 hostages, three of whom are presumed to still be alive.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Somayeh Malekian

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — Israeli strikes killed at least 86 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, Gaza’s Civil Defence body in the Hamas-run territory said.

More than 250 other people were injured in Israeli attacks, they added.

The strikes came despite the ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday after weeks of intense negotiations in Doha, Qatar. The final round of talks followed more than a year of failed efforts to reach an accord.

The first of three ceasefire phases is set to go into force on Sunday, though is still pending approval by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. If the first is successful, the second phase will begin after 42 days, according to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who announced the deal in Doha.

On Thursday, Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of trying to renege on parts of the deal, an allegation Hamas denied, saying in a statement that “The organization is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.”

Mediators hope the nascent ceasefire will form a roadmap to end more than 15 months of conflict in Gaza, which has devastated the Palestinian territory and created a vast humanitarian crisis.

Gaza Health Ministry officials said Thursday that at least 46,788 Palestinians had been killed and 110,453 injured in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on southern Israel.

Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the attack, with 253 more taken hostage by militants, according to Israeli officials. Following several rounds of hostage releases, Israeli officials say 94 abductees remain in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead. Four more hostages abducted in 2014 are still being held in Gaza by Hamas, two of whom are believed to be alive.

More than 400 Israeli soldiers and security personnel have been killed during the fighting inside Gaza, nine of whom were killed in the past week, the IDF said.

The Israel Defense Forces claims to have killed more than 15,000 Hamas fighters and other militants throughout the course of the war. Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif were among those killed since October 2023.

ABC News’ Samy Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Nasser Atta, Meredith Deliso, Somayeh Malekian and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now and affecting what matters most to us. Hurricanes intensified by a warming planet and drought-fueled wildfires are destroying our communities. Rising seas and flooding are swallowing our homes. And record-breaking heat waves are reshaping our way of life.

The good news is we know how to turn the tide and avoid the worst possible outcomes. However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings, and critical decisions that are shaping our future.

That’s why the ABC News Climate and Weather Unit is cutting through the noise by curating what you need to know to keep the people and places you care about safe. We are dedicated to providing clarity amid the chaos, giving you the facts and insights necessary to navigate the climate realities of today — and tomorrow.

2024 natural disasters cost the world $320 billion in damages

While its impact varies from disaster to disaster, extensive research has found that changes in our climate are making extreme weather events like heat waves, hurricanes, flooding and wildfires worse. Now, a new analysis shows us just how costly these natural disasters were in 2024.

Munich Re, a reinsurance company, found that natural disasters in 2024 caused $320 billion worth of financial losses worldwide. That’s $52 billion more than in 2023. And of those losses, the company says less than half were covered by insurance.

According to the company, weather catastrophes were responsible for almost all of the financial loss. They say 93% of overall losses and 97% of insured losses were caused by severe weather like floods, wildfires, thunderstorms and tropical cyclones. Hurricanes Helene and Milton took the top spot for the most destructive disasters of 2024.

Munich Re says 2024 was also the third-most expensive year in terms of insured losses and the fifth-most costly for overall costs since 1980.

“The physics are clear: the higher the temperature, the more water vapour and therefore energy is released into the atmosphere. Our planet’s weather machine is shifting to a higher gear. Everyone pays the price for worsening weather extremes, but especially the people in countries with little insurance protection or publicly funded support to help with recovery,” said Munich Re’s chief climate scientist, Tobias Grimm, in a statement.

-ABC News climate unit’s Matthew Glasser

Climate change amplified dryness, but LA fires still extreme without it: UCLA analysis

In a new quick-turn analysis, UCLA climate scientists found that climate change could be responsible for roughly a quarter of the extreme vegetation dryness present when the Palisades and Eaton fires began. But they say the fires would still have been extreme even without that moisture deficit.

“We believe that the fires would still have been extreme without the climate change components noted above, but would have been somewhat smaller and less intense,” the team noted.

The climate scientists at UCLA’s Climate & Wildlife Research Initiative considered what contributed to the fire “to quantify how unusual these factors are, in the context of the natural weather and climate variability.”

The researchers examined the intense summer heat, drought and extreme precipitation that impacted the region in recent years. They concluded that the unusually warm temperatures during the summer and fall of 2024 are the most likely way climate change could have helped intensify the wildfires by lowering fuel moisture in the region.

However, the analysis found that this stretch of unusually warm weather was likely not the primary driver of the extreme vegetation dryness that was in place at the time of the wildfires.

Researchers point to the lack of early wet season precipitation as the main contributor of the extremely dry fuels, estimating that about 75% of the dryness was due to lack of rain and roughly 25% attributed to the stretch of anomalous warmth. They say the current rain deficit is more likely due to California’s highly variable natural climate rather than human-amplified climate change.

“As I’ve often said, no one claims that climate change directly causes natural disasters. Instead, we highlight that human-caused climate change amplifies these events. As this issue becomes more pronounced, it’s essential that we focus on mitigation, adaptation, and planning for the warming that is already inevitable,” explained Ginger Zee, ABC News chief meteorologist and chief climate correspondent.

Based on their findings, the research team recommends aggressively suppressing fire ignitions when extreme fire weather is forecast, making homes more fire resistant, and building new units in low wildfire risk zones.

The analysis has not been peer-reviewed and additional findings are likely to emerge as new studies are completed.

-ABC News Climate Unit

A perfect storm: How weather and climate fueled LA’s devastating wildfires

The devastating wildfires in Southern California were fueled by a perfect storm of weather and climate factors. While the exact causes of the fires are still under investigation, the conditions that led to their rapid spread are a combination of a lots of rain followed by extreme dryness and powerful winds. We also know that climate change is amplifying the intensity and destructiveness of wildfires in general.

After a period of massive amounts of rain and flooding, Los Angeles has only seen 0.16 inches of rain since May 6, leaving the region exceptionally dry and filled with fuel for potential fires. But dryness alone wasn’t enough to create the chaos. An extraordinary mountain wave wind event, with gusts reaching 100 mph, spread the flames uncontrollably. At that point, firefighters were not going to be able to stop them.

The National Weather Service had warned of these conditions 36 hours before the fires began, calling them “life-threatening and destructive.” Unlike a similar wind event in 2011, this year’s extreme dryness and a unique atmospheric setup made the winds even more devastating, spreading fires to areas not typically impacted by those weather conditions.

While climate change’s exact impact on these fires is still under study, scientists agree that along with rapid urbanization, human-amplified climate change is intensifying dry-wet cycles that increases vegetation growth followed by extreme drying. This hydroclimate whiplash, along with more extreme heat, is contributing to wildfires being larger and more destructive.

-ABC News Chief Meteorologist and Chief Climate Correspondent Ginger Zee, ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck, ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser and ABC News meteorologist Dan Manzo

How global warming is making Earth’s climate more volatile

Scientists know that human-amplified climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of many extreme weather events, but our changing climate could also be making wild weather swings more common and more extreme, according to new research published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment and the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

For example, moving from devastating drought to record-breaking precipitation, or vice versa.

Parts of the world, like the southwestern U.S., historically experience highly variable weather and climate conditions, typically shifting from periods of very dry to very wet weather. However, in recent years, the rapid succession of extreme droughts, wildfires and floods has significantly impacted these regions, prompting scientists to look closely at how global warming affects climate variability.

The new research, which involved UCLA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, further investigated this variability, focusing specifically on hydroclimate volatility. Hydroclimate volatility is sudden, large and/or frequent transitions between arid and very wet conditions.

Researchers found that this volatility, also known as “hydroclimate whiplash,” has become more frequent and will increase significantly as global temperatures rise.

The analysis found that since the mid-20th century, inter-annual hydroclimate volatility has increased by 8% to 31% over land areas, meaning more frequent shifts from dry to wet conditions in recent decades.

“This increase in hydroclimate volatility likely underpins a good portion of the societal perception that the impacts from climate change are accelerating,” Daniel Swain, lead researcher and climate scientist with UCLA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, said in a statement.

To better illustrate their findings, the authors formally introduced the analogy of an “expanding atmospheric sponge,” saying that the underlying physical processes driving the increase in volatility can be compared to using a kitchen sponge.

With each degree of global temperature rise, the hypothetical sponge becomes 7% larger, and, therefore, can hold more water. — just like a larger kitchen sponge can soak up more water from the countertop compared to a smaller one. And when you wring out the bigger sponge, more water will pour out. A larger sponge will also require more water to become fully saturated.

A warmer atmosphere will also want to soak up more water vapor to achieve this through processes like evaporation, which can enhance dry conditions. These changes in atmospheric water vapor capacity will not only increase the chances of moving from very dry to very wet conditions, but it could fuel droughts and more extreme rainfall.

And as hydroclimate volatility continues to increase, more rapid swings between extreme weather events will amplify many of the associated hazards and potentially require changes to how we manage them.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

Biden bans offshore oil and gas drilling in 625 million acres of ocean

Just days before he leaves office, President Joe Biden is taking executive action to ban offshore oil and gas drilling in more than 625 million acres of ocean.

Using a provision in the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act that gives the president the authority to ban drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf ocean zone, Biden declared the entire U.S. East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California and portions of the Northern Baring Sea in Alaska off limits to future oil and natural gas leasing.

“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. It is not worth the risks,” Biden said in a statement.

The decision is not unprecedented. President Barack Obama used the act to ban oil and gas production in parts of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. And President Donald Trump used it to prohibit drilling off both Florida coasts and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. Trump also tried to overturn the Obama decision in 2019, but a U.S. District Court judge ruled that it would require an act of Congress to undo the ban. With that ruling, Trump may have difficulty ridding himself of the ban.

Environmental groups are praising the decision, and one senior administration official told ABC News that the ban is “one of the most significant climate actions the president could take” regarding climate protection and natural resource protection.

The American Petroleum Institute panned the move, saying, “American voters sent a clear message in support of domestic energy development, and yet the current administration is using its final days in office to cement a record of doing everything possible to restrict it.”

The group, which represents America’s natural gas and oil industry, is urging “policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing.”

But Biden is pushing back on the criticism, and the White House says hundreds of municipalities and thousands of elected officials have formally opposed offshore drilling in these areas because of health, environmental and economic threats.

“We do not need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our ocean healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure and keeping energy prices low. Those are false choices,” Biden added in his statement.

While the eastern Gulf of Mexico is considered a lucrative region for drilling, the oil and gas industry has not shown much interest in developing some of the other areas receiving the new protection. And there’s been bipartisan pressure to protect many of these locations as many legislators don’t want oil platforms near their beaches.

-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser and ABC News White House Correspondent MaryAlice Parks

Could the UK be a model for clean electricity production?

When it comes to curbing climate change, scientists have been clear. The world needs to stop burning fossil fuels. However, much of the world still depends on significant amounts of oil, gas and coal for its energy needs.

England kicked off the coal power revolution in 1882 and, for the next 142 years, burned the greenhouse gas-emitting energy source. But last year, the U.K. became the first G7 country to phase out coal power plants. When the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire closed in September, it marked the end of an era for the most-polluting fossil fuel in that region.

A new analysis by Carbon Brief, a U.K.-based climate publication, found that by eliminating coal and adopting more clean energy sources, the U.K. has significantly cleaned up its electricity generation, meaning it’s generating the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions in its history.

According to the analysis, in 2024, renewable energy sources reached a record-high 45% in the country, while fossil fuels made up 29%. Nuclear energy accounted for another 13%. Over the last decade, renewable energy sources have more than doubled. As a result, carbon emissions have plunged by two-thirds over that time.

While gas-fired power plants are still the U.K.’s single-largest source of electricity, wind power has almost caught up. However, the analysis found that when new wind projects come online in the coming months, the U.K. will likely generate more power from wind than gas in 2025.

While the incoming Trump administration calls for more drilling and fossil fuel use, including coal, in the United States, the U.K. just had its cleanest year ever for electricity generation. The combination of sunsetting coal power plants and increasing the amount of renewable energy is moving the country in the direction scientists say is crucial for stopping the worst impacts of human-amplified climate change.

-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser

New York will make polluters pay for climate change damage

New York State is establishing a “Climate Superfund” that will make companies that release large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions financially responsible for some of the damage that climate change caused to the state’s infrastructure, communities and ecosystems.

On Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul, signed a bill into law requiring large fossil fuel companies to “pay for critical projects that protect New Yorkers.” Citing the hundreds of billions of dollars the state will have to spend on climate adaptation through 2050, the law requires that the companies responsible for most carbon emissions, more than a billion metric tons, between 2000-2018 pay nearly $3 billion annually for the next 25 years.

“With nearly every record rainfall, heatwave, and coastal storm, New Yorkers are increasingly burdened with billions of dollars in health, safety, and environmental consequences due to polluters that have historically harmed our environment,” Hochul said in a press statement.

The new law calls climate change “an immediate, grave threat to the state’s communities, environment, and economy.” According to NASA, 97% of climate scientists believe human activity, specifically burning fossil fuels, is the primary driver of climate change and global warming. And those changes to the climate have resulted in more intense and more frequent extreme weather events.

The New York legislature said the “Climate Superfund” was now possible because scientific research enables them “to determine with great accuracy the share of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by specific fossil fuel companies over the last 70 years or more, making it possible to assign liability to and require compensation from companies commensurate with their emissions during a given time period.”

“The governor’s approval of the Climate Change Superfund Act is a welcome holiday gift for New York taxpayers,” said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, in a statement. “Until her approval, New York taxpayers were 100% on the financial hook for climate costs. Now Big Oil will pay for much of the damages that they helped cause.”

The state anticipates collecting up to $75 billion over 25 years, and the law requires that at least 35% of the funds go to disadvantaged communities.

New York State Senator Liz Krueger said the new legislation was modeled after the federal Superfund law that requires polluters to pay for toxic waste cleanups.

But not everyone is cheering the new legislation. In a letter to Gov. Hochul, urging her to veto the bill, the Business Council of New York State, which represents more than 3,000 companies, chambers of commerce and associations, wrote, “The bill discriminates by targeting only the largest fossil fuel extraction and processing firms, including petroleum, natural gas, and coal.”

The Council added, “This legislation ignores the near universal use and benefits associated with fossil fuel.” They argued that the new law would do nothing to address what they said is the primary cause of carbon emissions: “consumption.”

There are still a lot of specifics that have yet to be determined, and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for figuring out the program’s details over the next few years. With legal challenges all but certain, it will be some time before the companies actually have to pay up.

-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser

Could climate change bring more earthquakes?

Earthquakes are usually triggered by seismic activity deep beneath the Earth’s surface and far beyond the influence of atmospheric conditions. However, according to new research, there may be instances where climate change can impact seismic activity.

A recent Colorado State University study suggests that melting glaciers could impact earthquake activity in some areas. Researchers analyzed southern Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains during the last ice age. They found the active fault responsible for triggering earthquakes was held in place by the weight of glaciers sitting on top of it.

Thousands of years ago, as the last ice age ended and the planet began to naturally warm, glaciers in this region began to melt. The study found that as the ice melted, there was less pressure on the quake-prone fault, which triggered an increase in earthquake activity. Basically, the glacier was holding the fault in place — less ice, less weight.

There is limited scientific evidence linking changes in Earth’s climate to earthquake activity. Still, this study demonstrates that, in some cases, climate-related events, like melting glaciers, could influence seismic events.

Sean Gallen, Geosciences associate professor and senior author of the study, highlights that this research helps us better understand the factors that can drive earthquakes.

Even though the study focused on investigating links between Earth’s natural climate variability (an ice age) and seismic activity, this research shows how other glacier-adjacent faults worldwide could respond as greenhouse gas emissions accelerate global warming.

As human-amplified climate change continues to drive global glacier melt, earthquake activity along these faults could increase as glaciers recede.

“We see this in the rapid mountain glacial retreats in Alaska, the Himalayas and the Alps,” said Cece Hurtado, an author of the study. “In many of these regions, there are also active tectonics, and this work demonstrates that as climate change alters ice and water loads, tectonically active areas might see more frequent fault movements and earthquakes due to rapidly changing stress conditions.”

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

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