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Hamas And Israel Agree To Ceasefire-Hostage Deal; First Phase Of Ceasefire-Hostage Deal To Last 42 Days; Blinken: Pathway To Permanent Ceasefire Not Yet Sorted. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 15, 2025 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:10]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Good evening. I'm Omar Jimenez, and tonight we are following breaking news: A pathway to end the war in Gaza, but with a lot of work still to do on that front, but crucially, Israel and Hamas have agreed to an initial ceasefire.

Celebrations erupted across Israel and Gaza after the announcement. The Qatari prime minister says the deal is set to begin on Sunday.

Dozens of hostages taken from Israel are expected to be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. US President Biden spoke about the deal earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades, this is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced.

This has been a time of real turmoil in the Middle East. But as I prepare to leave office, our friends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there is a genuine opportunity for a new future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Becky Anderson is in Doha, Qatar for us.

I know you were speaking with sources leading up to the initial announcement of this deal. Can you just tell us a little bit about how this deal came together and what's in it?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, let's start with how this deal came together. It is a deal that looks very like a proposal by Joe Biden that was put to both parties back in May.

There is a little difference around the parameters, but ultimately -- around the details, sorry, but ultimately the parameters remain the same. So the question is, why has it taken eight months to get to this point?

Well, the key change, and it is absolutely clear when you talk to sources here and indeed the prime minister of Qatar speaking to this today, a key difference has been the introduction of the Trump administration, the incoming Trump administration's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who got involved in these negotiations around about the back end of November.

And his involvement alongside Brett McGurk, Joe Biden's Middle East coordinator has been absolutely crucial in getting this across the line.

Steve Witkoff has been shuttling between Doha and Israel and working around the region, but very specifically working between Doha and Israel and conversations with the Israeli prime minister to effect this deal. I mean, there has been an awful lot of hard work.

The prime minister spoke to members of the press here in Doha just a couple of hours ago when he formally announced that an agreement between Israel and Hamas had been made.

And he said in the last four days, for example, the momentum for this deal has really been enormous. They worked through the night on Tuesday into Wednesday, and then today, Wednesday, they continued to talk until the breakthrough was found.

So a lot of hard work has gone into this very specifically over the last couple of months to get us where we are today. So what does this deal look like? Well, it is a deal that will be implemented assuming that it is agreed upon by the Israeli Security Cabinet and government on the 19th of January. It will be implemented on the 19th of January. It goes into effect on the 19th of January, of course, this is just a day before the inauguration of Donald Trump, who had threatened that all hell would break loose were there not a deal in place before he became president.

So it goes into place on Sunday. What does it look like? Well, this is phase one, and lets be quite clear about this, because ultimately, to get to the silencing of the guns in Gaza completely, we will have to work through a number of phases, three phases in this.

But the first phase, which is what has been agreed upon at this stage, is 42 days, during which 33 hostages will be released by those who are holding them in Gaza. This is 33 of the 94 hostages who were taken on October the 7th and held in Gaza, some nearly 460 days now most of whom, those who were released in the first phase, these 33, most of them are believed to be alive, but it may not be all of them.

We are talking about children, women and the injured and those over the age of 50. This will be in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli detention. This also allows for the return or the staggered return of Palestinians to their homes, including into the northern part of the Strip.

[16:05:04]

The phased withdrawal of Israelis away from populated areas to a buffer zone on the Gaza border, and, crucially as well, of course, the surge in humanitarian aid and we have already seen images of trucks on the move even before the implementation of this deal on Sunday. That's as things stand at the moment. The second phase of this deal, which, as we understand it, will be negotiated on the 16th day of phase one, is intended to bring an end to this conflict. But, you know, there are questions about whether that will actually happen. And I did put that question to the prime minister earlier. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: How much confidence do you have that the deal will progress beyond phase one, sir?

MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have faith, Becky, that brought us to this moment. And I think that's the most important part that we are committed. We will continue to do everything we can, everything possible to together with our partners to ensure that this deal is implemented as it is agreed, and this deal will bring us peace, hopefully at the end of it.

I believe that it all depends on the parties of the agreement and acting in good faith in that agreement in order to ensure that no collapse is happening to that deal.

ANDERSON: Can I just follow up. What mechanisms are in place to ensure that neither side breaks the ceasefire?

AL THANI: There is a follow up mechanism that, Egypt, Qatar and the US are going to handle. It will be placed in Cairo and this follow up actually will be a joint team from the three countries that will monitor the implementation of the agreement and everything is being agreed upon and will be in place, hopefully on the day of the execution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, this is certainly a beginning. Is this the beginning of the end? Not clear necessarily at this point.

What moved the needle on this, Omar, it does seem absolutely clear that the introduction of the Trump administration, at least in the body of Steve Witkoff, as it were, has been instrumental in getting us to where we are today.

JIMENEZ: And even with this crucial first step, any implementation or negotiation of that second phase will come under a Trump administration. So we will see what that does to what have been negotiations to this point.

Becky Anderson, really appreciate the reporting as always.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General is welcoming the ceasefire agreement, calling it a critical first step. Antonio Guterres calling on all parties to uphold the deal and he underscored the importance of getting aid into Gaza.

Now, a source close to CNN says aid has been stockpiled in Egypt and Jordan for a so-called humanitarian surge. Officials from the US, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel are expected to discuss the operation. And that was a source familiar with those operations, told CNN.

I want to bring in Tanya Haj-Hassan. She is a pediatrician for Medecins Sans Frontieres -- Doctors Without Borders. She is also the co-founder of Gaza Medic Voices. She joins me from Jordan now.

I really appreciate you taking the time.

Now, look, you've worked in Gaza's hospitals with medical aid for Palestinians and I wonder, what is your initial reaction to the announcement of this deal?

TANYA HAJ-HASSAN, PEDIATRICIAN, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Honestly, I am relieved. You know, I welcome any agreement to end violence and alleviate some of the suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people. I am relieved that many of my friends and colleagues are alive. Hopefully, we will continue to be alive as the ceasefire plan goes through.

Relieved for them that they can bury their dead and return to what is left, if anything, of their homes. Relieved that the hundreds and thousands of people injured can potentially access more medical care now and more aid.

This, tragically, does come too late for the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed, likely hundreds of thousands, we won't know until the dust has settled. Hundreds of thousands injured and many, including over 300 of our medical colleagues who have been abducted, with many reporting torture. And obviously, the two million people that have been starved by the Israeli military project.

The reality is, though, Omar, is this will continue -- the death and the destruction will continue even without military violence, because conditions that have been orchestrated by the Israeli military campaign include the destruction of the health care system, including mechanisms to care for over 100,000 people that have been injured.

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The acutely sick, the chronically unwell -- the health care system has been systematically targeted and destroyed. There are no fully functioning hospitals, over a thousand healthcare workers have been killed including an estimated 24 percent of Gaza's most senior physicians, either killed or detained.

There has been a destruction of the water and sewage systems that are so important in preventing disease. The agriculture and food industries, important in restoring nutrition to a population that has been malnourished for -- intentionally malnourished for far too long, destruction of the schools, universities, both medical schools in Gaza -- all of these things will have lasting consequences for the survival of the Palestinian population.

As one doctor recently put it. He said, the physical, environmental, and social destruction something to the effect of this essentially has created a biosphere capable of self-sustaining the genocidal erasure through disease and injury. So as Becky Anderson just said before I came on, you know, this does mark the beginning, it is not the end of global efforts, not just to end violence, but also to restore, importantly, health and freedom to the Palestinian people.

And so I hope --

JIMENEZ: And Doctor -- sorry, continue.

HAJ-HASSAN: -- this comes -- yes, go ahead. You mentioned aid, there needs to be full, unrestricted, sustained access through all the corridors into Gaza, both to provide the urgent aid needed, but also to rebuild the mechanisms of sustainability for all of these things that that are indispensable to human survival and life.

JIMENEZ: And where I was going to jump in was, you know, as part of this deal, you know, they've talked about multiple phases to this. One, you know, that would include a permanent end to the war and so- called phase two of this deal. Those details are still being negotiated to move to that phase. Obviously, that would be a significant moment.

But for you, as someone who has worked in Gaza, what do you believe would be the most significant indicator of a better future for the civilians of Gaza? If we get through some of these phases, where do you believe that infrastructure rebuilding should start?

HAJ-HASSAN: I think that process should be driven by the Palestinian people. You know, we've ignored Palestinian self-determination for far too long. They deserve the same human rights that you and I are given by the international community. And I think it is about time we start respecting that.

And I think the best indication of that would be if we essentially apply the UN resolutions that have been collecting dust for way too long, that we apply the same human rights and international laws that we apply to everyone else globally, or should be applying to everyone else globally -- and I think those would be the first steps.

You know, I've received several messages in the last hour. You know, our phones have been exploding back and forth with our colleagues in Gaza and I will leave you with a few of their messages. But just so you understand the magnitude of what they've been through, one of my colleagues, an ICU doctor said that he is happy that the massacre will stop, and God willing, he said, but I decided to go into my room to avoid spreading negative energy and sadness because I feel that is -- I feel that if I had died with my mother, it would have been better.

You know, there is happiness, but also overwhelming grief. You know, this 15 coming on 16th month massacre has created the largest cohort of pediatric amputees, an unknown number of children who have been orphaned, in the thousands and amongst other records that you never want to break, you know, and, you know, another colleague said, thank God, thank God we are getting rid of this war and this genocide. I can't imagine how we will return to Gaza and return to a normal life without bombing and death. And then one of my other ER colleague said, and I think this is really important because it, it underscores the importance of the international commitment that needs to come next and it is an international commitment that has very clearly been laid out in the various legal proceedings that have been going on for the past 15 months. There needs to be accountability.

And part of that accountability is making sure that governments ensure access to unhindered, unrestricted aid, both for the acute phase but also to rebuild infrastructure and ensure Palestinian self- determination.

And so this last doctor says, surely we now start a different kind of war, but at least without extermination, thank God.

God-willing, we can rebuild and rehabilitate the health care sector with all its components, with you and all the people who have been standing with us.

First of all, let's try to rebuild ourselves from the inside, restore ourselves and our families, and go back to see the situation of our homes and all of these things. It is a second war in and of itself, for sure.

JIMENEZ: And Doctor, you know, you mentioned one of the challenges that we are going to see moving forward. This is a crucial first step, it is going to take the coordination of a lot of different bodies, governments to continue this phase moving forward, and thank you for sharing those messages from some of your colleagues on the ground.

I know you have our contact. You want to send us a few of those messages as well so we can, you know, get a few more of those out just to get a sense of what it is like on the ground there. Please do.

But for now, really, Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, thank you for taking the time. Really appreciate you being here.

HAJ-HASSAN: Thank you for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right, when we come back, we are going to have more on the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: We return to our top story. A ceasefire deal has been reached between Hamas and Israel. The people of Gaza are celebrating the deal. You can see the utter joy and relief at Khan Younis just a while ago.

One Palestinian in another part of Gaza saying she never thought this day would come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The feeling that is indescribable. We never expected to get to this stage. Even now, we don't believe it. We wish many people could celebrate this moment with us, but they are now in a better place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: In Tel Aviv, celebrations at the news that 33 hostages would be released as part of the first phase of the deal. A friend of one of the hostages says this is just the first step.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And for us, it is only the beginning. We want them all here, okay? Because it is not (the) end and it is not enough. If just some of them will come and we have the two guys from our kibbutz, we want them here and with all the other hostages, the dead and the alive. And this is what we are waiting for, and we wish for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And Matthew Chance is with me now.

[16:20:06]

Obviously, a lot of eyes on the negotiations of even getting to this point in the deal.

Do we have a sense of the reaction we are seeing globally and how the international community views the implementation of this deal, which, of course, we know is the next phase of this?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously it is going to be a challenge, and I expect that, you know, there is going to be a lot of anticipation in the international community amongst Israel's allies and its friends, as well as its foes and rivals, to see, you know, the extent to which the Israeli military, there are, of course, kind of exercise enormous control inside the Gaza Strip, the extent to which they're going to sort of make this happen.

You know, it is a moment of great celebration, as you just reported, both inside the Gaza Strip, where, you know, hundreds of thousands of people are sort of sensing that this could be the beginning of the end for them and for the trauma that they and their families have had to suffer, being displaced from their homes, more than 45,000 to 46,000 people killed inside the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war.

But also, obviously inside Israel, where there has been enormous trauma and suffering as a result of the October 7th attacks and the fact that so many people were taken hostage inside the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

The idea that another 33 of them are going to come out is an enormous moment for hope, and, you know, celebration, even though there will still be lots of people unaccounted for still inside the Gaza Strip.

And so, yes, there are problems, undoubtedly, that will be, you know, coming down the road. It is likely to be a bumpy process, but it is, at least tonight, a hopeful evening, that the process is at its start.

JIMENEZ: Matthew Chance, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you so much.

Coming up, Donald Trump is taking credit for the emerging ceasefire deal. We are going to discuss how it came together, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Welcome back, everyone. I am Omar Jimenez. We are going to continue our breaking news coverage in a moment when Donald Trump takes credit for the ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas and the Israeli prime minister says there are still some of the details to finalize in this deal.

Before that, though, the headlines this hour.

SpaceX launched two moon landers from one rocket Wednesday morning. They were developed by two different companies and will take separate paths to the moon. One lander hopes to capture images of a phenomenon called Lunar Horizon Glow. Both vessels will collect soil samples.

And six of Donald Trump's Cabinet picks being grilled today on Capitol Hill during Senate confirmation hearings. Among them, Marco Rubio, his choice for Secretary of State. Rubio told the Senate panel the war between Russia and Ukraine must end, and both sides need to make concessions.

The Eaton Fire in Los Angeles is now 45 percent contained, but strong winds will create dangerous conditions until this evening in Southern California.

Progress in the Palisades fire remains slower, however, as it is only 19 percent contained. The two fires are now the most destructive in Southern California history. At least 25 people have lost their lives.

And celebrations across Gaza tonight, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal. Qatar's prime minister says the truce will take effect Sunday. There is relief and anticipation in Israel as well, 33 hostages in Gaza are expected to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire, along with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Donald trump is praising the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He wrote on Truth Social that the deal was only reached because of what he calls his "historic victory in November."

Senator Marco Rubio, Trump's choice for Secretary of State, credited everyone involved. At his confirmation hearing, Rubio said the incoming Middle East envoy has been working with the Biden White House on this.

The current Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, sat down earlier with Christiane Amanpour. He said the ceasefire is just the first step toward a lasting peace, and that the exact path forward is not yet sorted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tell me when this ceasefire comes into effect, what exactly will it mean? Is that the end of the war? What is it? Or is it an interim method?

ANTONY BLINKEN, US SECRETARY OF STATE: So it will be on the basis of the plan that President Biden put forward back in May, and that we rallied, the entire world behind, and ever since then, we've been working to negotiate the details, the implementation.

It has been delayed and derailed by different events, but we are, I think, finally, at the point where this gets over the line. Once that happens, here is what happens. First, the firing stops. Hamas-Israel stopped firing. Israel pulls back its forces. Hostages begin to be released. Prisoners come out of Israeli jails and go back, and we surge humanitarian assistance to people who so desperately need it.

All of that happens during a six-week period, but also during that six weeks, we have to negotiate the understandings to get to a permanent ceasefire so that Israel pulls all of its forces out of Gaza. Hamas doesn't come back in, and there is the necessary governance, security, reconstruction arrangements so that Gaza can move forward.

AMANPOUR: Is that sorted?

BLINKEN: That's not sorted. We've worked on it intensely for the last six or seven months, intensely but quietly, with Arab partners, with others. I think there is some basic understandings that we've reached, but the ceasefire itself hopefully would concentrate minds and get people to agree on what is necessary to get that day after a post- conflict plan in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And Christiane Amanpour is with me now. What a time to sit down with the US Secretary of State.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, we've seen various iterations of temporary ceasefire deals either enacted or they've been closed. Based on your conversation with Secretary Blinken, do you assess that this deal is different? That it has any form of lasting power?

AMANPOUR: So the ambitions are different because it goes beyond just the ceasefire, and at the end of the interview, he told me the absolute desire and aim of US government is for this to set the Palestinians on a real road to an independent state, alongside a secure and safe Israeli nation, so that is the big picture.

But insomuch as the second phase of this has not yet been sorted, as he said, the second phase actually falls under the jurisdiction of the incoming Trump administration. They will be in office in the next six weeks, obviously, when the second phase comes into effect, if everything goes right in the first phase. And when I asked him, does he think that the Trump administration will take the ball and run with it? He said, I just don't know, but they should, and here are all the reasons why. This is what we've done. This is what we've negotiated. This is what we've laid out. And it would benefit everybody, including the Trump administration, Israel, the Palestinians, the area if it was to be ended in a proper and comprehensive way.

And particularly indicating that if it was and that Israel agreed to the notion of a Palestinian state and started to work towards it with a reformed Palestinian entity, then that would help what Trump really wants, and that is to expand the Abraham Accords and bring Saudi Arabia into a deal, to recognize and to be normal alongside Israel.

So there is a lot that is possible out there. There is a lot that could happen to transform the region. The question is, will the United States still follow up and really keep pressuring all sides to do that or what? And that's the unknown.

[16:30:55]

JIMENEZ: And, you know, you can't help but look at the timing of this deal. The final days of the Biden presidency, days before the return of a Trump presidency. Both are taking credit here.

Did you get the sense that the incoming Trump administration was, at the very least, a factor in these negotiations, or the timing of a breakthrough, so to speak, in at least this first phase?

AMANPOUR: Look, as you know, President-elect Trump has posted that this epic deal couldn't have happened. He used the word epic. It's in fact a limited deal unless he actually pushes that ball down the road. Couldn't have happened, you know, if he wasn't around. As you know, President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken told me that this is an exact deal that they had worked out back in May and that was rejected once by one side, once by the other side. And it's just been rejected for the last several months, which have increased the loss of lives, increased the difficulty of this, increase the whole, you know, real mess that the Middle East is in right now.

So yes, yes, the fact that Trump is coming in did concentrate minds, but they have been working with the Trump administration ever since the election. Trump, as you remember, said, if there are no hostage releases or if they aren't all released, then all hell will be brought to bear. But of course, the Palestinians say, well, all hell is already coming down on our heads. And others say that this concentrated both Netanyahu's mind and Hamas minds.

On top of that, Blinken told me that he had had very good conversations with his designated successor, Marco Rubio, and felt that they had had really good conversations about this and other issues. And Marco Rubio himself said today that, I dare say to quote him, he said that both sides, both teams are, you know, responsible for closing in on this limited first phase.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, we heard similar from President Biden, who said he told his team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure they're all speaking with the same voice here.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

JIMENEZ: As you just mentioned, of course, this deal is broken into phases, this phase one we'll see the temporary cease fire and exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, but it also provides the opportunity to negotiate for a phase two, potential permanent end of the war, which, as we heard from your interview, not yet sorted.

Does getting to that phase, though, present any significantly different challenges than what it took to get to this one? What are you watching for moving forward?

AMANPOUR: Well, that this first phase actually goes smoothly. Remember a year plus ago, November 2023, the only other negotiated time where they released hostages and Palestinian prisoners, it all kind of collapsed after about day eight. They did release, you know, about 100 Israeli hostages. They did release, I think, 300 or so Palestinian prisoners back then. Now we're talking about 33, only 33 Israeli hostages in this first six-week term and only a few each week.

I mean, that's an added torture, I'm sure, for the hostages and for their families. And in return, I believe more than a thousand Palestinians are designated to be released, plus a huge amount of aid. So anything, you know, anything can go wrong. But the hope is that finally now every side is tired. They need to end this war.

And one thing I think has to be very, very carefully looked at and understood, something that not many people have reported on, but that Antony Blinken, in his speech to the Atlantic Council this week, he said that Hamas has been able to recruit almost as many new soldiers, foot soldiers to their movement as they have lost in the war since October 7th. So this is danger. They have to end this so that they leave no room for Hamas to be able to take up, you know, as Hamas leadership of Gaza in any form or fashion afterwards.

So I think, you know, everybody needs to concentrate on this moment and try to take advantage of it and use the fact that this has been worked out, you know, mostly by the Biden administration, obviously, but also with the final push and acquiescence and teamwork with President Trump and his people.

[16:35:10]

JIMENEZ: And in that factor that you mentioned from Blinken and Hamas numbers, of course, becomes a factor in the long term because we have known from Netanyahu that he has said he will not stop until Hamas has been eradicated. So all factors to look for. Again, we are just at this phase one. A lot still to sort for this phase two.

Christiane Amanpour, really appreciate the time.

AMANPOUR: Thanks.

JIMENEZ: I want to expand this conversation and bring in H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow in Defense and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute.

Thank you for being here. Just to start out, what is your initial reaction to the announcement of this deal?

H.A. HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, thank you very much, Omar, for having me on your show. My initial reaction is one of hope, but one of tremendous caution. As you've already reported, for lack of a better expression, the devil is in the details. Phase one is going to start on Sunday. The real ceasefire agreement actually doesn't begin until phase two. Withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza is supposed to begin during that phase.

The details around the ceasefire depends utterly on a withdrawal of Israeli troops, but also a commitment not to return to bombing and continuing the war on Gaza. And right now, we don't have any secure confirmation that phase two is actually going to be implemented. Details still have to be worked out. And importantly, I think commitment to continue pressure and use leverage to ensure that the Israeli government actually goes forward with phase two at a time when we've already seen across Israeli media reports that indicate that actually seriousness about going into phase two is simply not there in the Netanyahu government, that there are coalition partners in that government from the Israeli far-right that are very keen not to leave Gaza.

So the question is whether or not Netanyahu will proceed to phase two. And if he chooses not to, what pressure will be then applied to ensure that he does?

JIMENEZ: And, you know, along that front, you posted on social media, I think similarly along those lines, that you don't believe this is a ceasefire deal, this is a hostage deal for some of the reasons that you just mentioned. But also given the timing of this and the incoming Trump administration, you know, I don't want to misquote you here, but it says it's very dubious to assume that the Trump administration is going to do what is necessary to force Netanyahu to proceed to phase two.

Do you believe it will take more than just the United States and Israel -- we heard Christiane Amanpour mentioned perhaps the United States firing back up talks with -- normalizing Saudi and Israeli relations. Does Qatar need to play a larger role? Essentially, what would it take to get to a phase two?

HELLYER: No. I think that the key question here is whether or not the Israelis are going to continue to phase two. I think when it comes to the Qataris, the Egyptians, they've made it very clear that they want an end to the war. They've made it abundantly clear that that's what they want, that they've wanted that since day one. But the main stumbling block over more than a year, as again, that's been reported multiple times in Israeli media, has been the Netanyahu government.

And in order to ensure that the Netanyahu government stays on track to actually finalize the deal, go forward with phase two, and then finally, with phase three, that represents a big challenge and one that unfortunately we have to rely purely on the United States to enforce that part of the agreement. And I remain dubious that the Trump administration will use the leverage that it has over the Israelis in order to bring that forward. But we'll wait and see.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, along those lines, even under President Biden, despite political pressures, aid did still flow to Israel over the course of this war and as the death toll in Gaza, of course, increased as well. And of course, through fighting with Hezbollah and Iran.

Do you believe the beginning of a Trump administration changes the outlook of this war significantly? Not so much in the sense of continuing to support Netanyahu as you were just speaking of, but does it change in regards to, as we've seen the president-elect post on social media, fear of larger consequences than maybe what was previously imagined or thought of under President Biden?

HELLYER: I don't think that Trump pushed Netanyahu towards this deal because he's worried about consequences.

[16:40:01]

I think that President-elect Trump has made it clear that he is a man, quote-unquote, "of the deal," that he wanted to have a deal in place before he came into the Oval. He has now succeeded in accomplishing that. Whether or not that same urge is going to have him keep Netanyahu to the deal, and again, going forward with phase two and then phase three, I think remains a very open question.

I hope that he does because I think that the continuation of the war would be incredibly destabilizing for the region, would be catastrophic for the peoples of the region. But we wait to see if he's actually going to use the immense leverage that the United States has with regards to the Israelis in order to do that.

JIMENEZ: H.A. Hellyer, really appreciate your time and perspective. Thank you for being here.

HELLYER: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Coming up, we're going to discuss what's next as Israeli lawmakers prepare to vote on the deal with Hamas. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Welcome back. Israel says it is still putting the finishing touches on a long awaited ceasefire deal with Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu's office says several unresolved points remain, but expects those details to be finalized in the coming hours. The ceasefire and hostage deal would then go to Israeli lawmakers for final approval. Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the nation in the past couple of hours where he urged the Israeli parliament to back the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAAC HERTZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT (through translator): I offer my support to the prime minister and the negotiation team in their efforts to finalize this deal and call upon the cabinet and the government of Israel to accept and approve it when presented, Bringing our sons and daughters home. As the president of the state of Israel, I say in the clearest terms, this is the right move. This is an important move. This is a necessary move. There is no greater moral, human, Jewish or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us, whether to recover at home or to be laid to rest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:45:09]

JIMENEZ: I want to bring in Aaron David Miller, who's a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who joins us from Washington.

I mean, you've also helped formulate U.S. policy on the Middle East and Arab-Israeli peace process in years past. And based on your experience, and I know you've followed this round of negotiations and this war very closely, what is your initial reaction to at least this initial announcement of this first phase of a ceasefire agreement?

AARON DAVID MILLER, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I mean, look, to the for the families of the hostages, the hostages that are going to be released and the people of Gaza who are going to benefit immensely from six weeks of quiet and the surging of humanitarian assistance. I think it's phenomenal.

That said, I think the odds that this will somehow, inevitably, inexorably lead six weeks or six weeks later to an end of the war and the release of the remaining hostages, good governance, security and prosperity for Gaza, that's a much heavier lift.

First thing's first, let's see if this deal can get implemented. And by the way, it's important to point out, the president-elect believed that he wanted this off of his agenda by the time of his inauguration. I think he's going to have to rethink that because the implementation of this agreement, which will start on Sunday, presumably, is going to be implemented or not on the watch of Donald Trump.

And he's going to have to make a decision, the degree to which he wants to invest in something that he has already claimed credit for.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, along those lines, you look at the timing of this announcement and the final days of the Biden administration, days ahead of the Trump administration. I wonder how much, I mean, this is a framework, as the president, as President Biden laid out, that has been in place for quite some time at this point, even if it wasn't this exact version of the deal.

How much do you assess politics were at play in the timing of this, whether on the United States domestic front or even on the Israeli front with Netanyahu?

MILLER: Yes. Well, you'd have to ask yourself the question if the May framework, which the president announced and was ensconced at the U.N. Security Council resolution, is basically, in essence, the same framework as the one that is going to be approved by the security cabinet and the government of Israel, then the question is why now? And the answer to that question is, I suspect, politically loaded.

And politically, it seems to me that one factor was clearly, clearly Hamas' increasing isolation and weakness and the humanitarian catastrophe which they brought upon their constituents in Gaza. But I don't think you can rule out what is being referred to, I guess, as the Trump effect. I mean, an outgoing administration has zero leverage with either Israel or Hamas, an incoming administration, particularly one that has made its views pretty clear, both formally and informally, clearly had leverage.

And I think Mr. Netanyahu would not have done this deal if he didn't think it was somehow within his interests, and he could get it through the cabinet and the government. But I think there's no doubt that he probably looked at Trump and said, you know, I won't be able to play this guy the way I have played the Biden administration. So I think, yes, it's a great credit also to the outgoing administration that they willfully and purposefully included Steve Witkoff in not only their deliberations, but allowed him to do coordinated but high visible diplomacy on his own.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And even in President Biden's speech, he made he made a point to say he worked with the incoming administration to make sure they were speaking the same language on this front.

Aaron David Miller, really appreciate the time and perspective.

MILLER: Thanks for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Coming up, many are celebrating the emerging ceasefire agreement. For families of Israeli hostages, though, the anxiety is as high as ever. We'll discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:52:16]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back. Anxiety is high for families of Israeli hostages and Israel and Hamas as they agree to an initial ceasefire. 33 hostages are expected to be released as part of this first phase. Most of them are thought to be alive. Bodies of deceased Israelis, though, are also likely to be among them.

The daughter of one hostage spoke to Christiane Amanpour earlier. She says nobody is celebrating yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARONE LIFSCHITZ, FATHER HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA: Nobody is hugging their loved ones yet. Nobody knows, you know, the fate of their loved one for sure. There is so much agony coming our way, as well as joy, and we have to hold ourselves and brace ourselves for, you know, for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Bianna Golodryga joins me now from Tel Aviv.

You've done extensive reporting on the families of hostages being held by Hamas. So what are you hearing from some of those families in this moment?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR, ONE WORLD: Omar, exactly what we heard from Sharon Lifshitz, and that is that no one is celebrating right now. The tension is so thick and so many families have told me we've been close before, and all of a sudden a deal would break apart. This is the closest they've come to a hostage-ceasefire deal since last November when over 100 hostages were ultimately released.

But the family members that I've spoken with, especially those that would be included in this phase one, the first 33 of the hostages that would be released over a six-week span, have said they don't want to talk to anybody. They don't want to do any media, they don't want to do anything that could impact this fragile ceasefire deal and hostage deal. And for them, Sunday cannot come soon enough, one could imagine.

And also in the country, there is just an overriding sense of anxiety, hope, hope, yes, that hostages will be coming home. But what state will they be coming home in physically? How will they feel? How will they be after 466 days in captivity? How many of them are still alive? And then, of course, there are those that are going to be left behind. And that's what makes this so bittersweet.

This is not a perfect deal. When you talk to any Israeli here, obviously getting any hostages home is better than none. But when you think about the 98 that are in Gaza right now, Israel has officially said some 35 are believed to be dead. That number is expected to be significantly larger. But among those who will be remaining for the perhaps phase two or three of the deal, that is who so many Israelis are also worried about right now.

[16:55:08]

So, as I said, Sunday can't come soon enough. One mother said to me, I'll believe it when I see it. But trust me, Omar, when they see these families come home, when they see these loved ones come home, when the hospitals are going to be there welcoming them, I think that's when you're going to see people take a bit more of a breath, a sigh of relief here. And I don't know if celebration is the right word, but some sort of closure and just the fact that you can have loved ones hugging their family members again is something this country has needed for a very long time now.

JIMENEZ: And even if it is an anxious hope right now, I'll call it that as they await again for Sunday to come as quickly as possible, I know you've spoken to families over the course of this war. How have their emotions been in check? Hopeful, not hopeful. At various points where it seems that the two sides have gotten close to a deal. How would you compare some of those previous times to now? GOLODRYGA: Yes, up and down. I mean, this is the most guarded I've

seen them. And even returning to hostage square, I thought we would see more people. We didn't. There was a crowd singing songs, but they weren't celebrating in singing those songs. I think there's a great deal of reflection happening right now in the country. Again, Sunday, just a few days away, but it seems like an eternity, given what these families have gone through, and they lay blame with everyone.

Obviously, Hamas first and foremost. They could release the hostages now. But there's a lot of frustration, even with their own government. This is a deal that was very similar deal was on the table just a few months ago if you'll recall, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Bianna Golodryga, thank you so much for your reporting. Again, this is just the beginning phase of this announced deal.

That is it for our breaking news coverage this hour. I'm Omar Jimenez. Up next, "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: A year of intense talks in Qatar. President Biden confirmed the deal this afternoon, noting that it was made possible by negotiators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States, with an assist from the incoming Trump administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration. In these past few days, we've been speaking as one team.