The first phase of the agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt will halt, for now, a 15-month war that changed the Middle East.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire Wednesday, a deal that will end 15 months of fighting in Gaza, senior Hamas and Qatari officials said.

Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a multiphase ceasefire that commits them to end the war in Gaza, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch said.