Biden says Gaza cease-fire deal has been reached, hails diplomatic efforts

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that a long-elusive deal to end Israel's more than 15-month war on the besieged Gaza Strip and free hostages there has been reached in a potential milestone for the coastal enclave.

"Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity," Biden said in a statement.

"I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council. 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," he added.