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The deal was finalised after months of intermittent negotiations led by Egyptian and Qatari mediators with support from the US.
Israelis in Tel Aviv and Palestinians in Gaza Strip’s Khan Younis celebrate as mediators between Hamas and Israel said that both parties agreed to a ceasefire. (IMAGE: AFP)
Mediators on Wednesday said they reached an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, news agencies Reuters and AFP reported.
The deal would mean an end to 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed West Asia.
The draft agreement awaiting formal announcement proposes a six-week ceasefire and gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, alongside a phased release of hostages and prisoners. An official source shared details of the three-phase plan with Reuters.
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The initial phase focuses on a six-week ceasefire, during which 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children and men over 50, will be freed.
In return, Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will also be released.
Negotiations for the second phase will commence by the 16th day of the initial phase. This phase is expected to address the release of all remaining hostages.
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It will also seek a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third and final phase of the agreement is expected to focus on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. It will include the return of all remaining deceased individuals to their families and the rebuilding of Gaza. This process will be supervised by international mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations (UN).
The deal was finalized after months of intermittent negotiations led by Egyptian and Qatari mediators with support from the United States, just before the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
A jubilant Trump posted on social media “we have a deal” days after he repeated his demand that a deal be done swiftly, warning repeatedly that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released. His Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff worked with President Joe Biden’s team to push the deal over the line, news agencies reported.
Hamas, Gaza’s dominant Palestinian militant group, while speaking to Reuters said that its delegation had handed mediators its approval for the ceasefire agreement and return of hostages.
A Palestinian official told the news agency earlier that Hamas had given verbal approval to the ceasefire and hostage return proposal under negotiation in Qatar and was waiting for more information to give final written approval.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting a visit to Europe short and flying back to Israel overnight to take part in security cabinet and government votes on the deal – meaning the votes would likely be by or on Thursday.
Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting more than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the coastal enclave a wasteland of rubble with hundreds of thousands surviving the winter cold in tents and makeshift shelters.
