End of months of bloodshed only ‘hours away’…
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal and hostage release, mediators claimed, but President Benjamin Netanyahu says the final details are still being sorted out.
The announcement comes after multiple mediators had said Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release dozens of hostages after more than 15 months of devastating war.
The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.
It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.
Three officials from the US and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while a senior Israeli official said details are still being ironed out.
All three US officials requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha.
President Joe Biden was preparing to address the breakthrough agreement later Thursday, officials said.
Any agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children, and men over 50-years-old as part of the initial six-week ceasefire deal.
In exchange, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails for every Israeli female soldier released by Hamas and 30 for other hostages.
Negotiations on implementing the second phase will begin by the 16th day of phase one and it is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third phase is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.
