War in Gaza is completely over, says Hamas official

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’s negotiation team, has said he has received guarantees from the U.S. and mediators that the first phase of a ceasefire deal agreed to with Israel will lead to a lasting, permanent end to the war, Al Jazeera writes.

“We have received assurances from the brotherly mediators and the US administration, who have confirmed that the war is completely over,”  Al-Hayya said.

He added that 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons will be released as part of the deal agreed to with Israel, alongside 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who were arrested since the war began, and all Palestinian women and children detained by Israel.

According to al-Hayya, the initial phase of the agreement provides for a prisoner exchange and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from some parts of Gaza.