
Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal after 15 months of bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and escalated tensions across the Middle East.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced on Thursday the ceasefire deal would come into effect on 19 January, but said discussions with Israel and Hamas are still ongoing.
The deal includes three phases, with Israel and Hamas agreeing to release hostages, halt fighting and allow for more aid to reach people in Gaza.
Some details of the full ceasefire agreement remain unclear, and there are questions over Gaza’s future governance and the role of international aid agencies in the region.
Here’s what we know about the deal so far.
The first phase
The initial phase will last six weeks and will involve a limited prisoner exchange, the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza and a surge of aid into the enclave.
Thirty-three Israeli hostages will be released in the first, 42-day phase of the agreement that could become a “permanent ceasefire”, Al Thani said.
He said those first released would be “civilian women and female recruits, as well as children, elderly people … civilian ill people and wounded”.
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said on Tuesday Israel was “prepared to pay a heavy price — in the hundreds” in exchange for the 33 hostages.
The 33 are among the 94 hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack on Israel
, which led to an escalation of the ongoing conflict.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials believe the 33 hostages are alive, though confirmation from Hamas is pending.
Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained since October 7 by the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on the hostages released and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees, including men, women and children.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will move out of populated areas to the edges of the Gaza Strip, and critical civilian aid will enter the war-torn region, according to the deal.
An Israeli buffer zone
During the initial 42-day ceasefire, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas to “allow for the swap of prisoners, as well as the swap of remains and the return of the displaced people”, Al Thani said.
Negotiations over a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of phase one and are expected to include the release of the remaining captives, including Israeli male soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces would not fully withdraw from Gaza until “all hostages are returned”, the Israeli official said.
It’s unclear how many civilians remain in northern Gaza, but the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service estimated 100,000 people remain
in the cities of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.
A source close to Hamas said Israeli forces would withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor westward toward Salaheddin Road to the east, enabling displaced people to return through an electronic checkpoint equipped with cameras.
“No Israeli forces will be present, and Palestinian militants will be barred from passing through the checkpoint during the return of displaced persons,” he said.
What happens next?
Details on the potential second and third phases of the ceasefire deal remain unclear.
Under the arrangements outlined by Qatar, the details of phases two and three will be “finalised” during the implementation of phase one.
US President Joe Biden said the as-yet finalised second phase would bring a “permanent end to the war”.
Biden said phase two would comprise an exchange for the release of remaining hostages who are still alive, including the male soldiers. Then all remaining Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, he said.
Israel has said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal until Hamas’ military and political capabilities are eliminated.
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The third stage is expected to address the return of all remaining bodies. It would also witness the start of Gaza’s reconstruction which will be supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the UN.
As of now, there is no agreement over who will administer Gaza beyond the ceasefire.
Hamas has said it is willing to hand over power to a new leadership body, but it may seek to keep a hand in any future government, which Israel has previously opposed.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attack in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government. More than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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