Negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza are almost complete, according to Israeli, Palestinian and mediator country officials. Some press outlets, citing sources on both sides, reported that Israel and Hamas have already agreed on the general principles of an agreement.
Qatar, the main mediator, said yesterday it had presented a draft truce. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government found the text acceptable, and Israeli officials were awaiting Hamas’ response.
The Associated Press reported that Hamas also had accepted the terms of the agreement, citing two officials involved in the negotiations. However, due to the failure of previous proposals, an Egyptian official told CNN that the mediating countries – Qatar, Egypt and the US – were cautious waiting for a response from the Palestinians.
Details
Hamas confirmed that the negotiations have reached their “final stage” and is in consultations with other Palestinian factions – some hostages are held by other groups, such as Islamic Jihad, which announced that it had sent a delegation to Doha to finalize the final details. The Saudi agency Al-Hadath reported that Hamas had already begun separating the hostages into groups, a step prior to their release.
Officials have also expressed optimism in the past, but negotiations have always broken down. However, the countries involved now suggest that Donald Trump’s inauguration, on the 20th, should accelerate the agreement – a negotiator for the US president-elect, Steve Witkoff, was sent to participate in the dialogue.
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Start
The agreement would have three phases, based on a draft made by US President Joe Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council. The first would see the release of 33 hostages over the next six weeks, including women, children, adults over 50 and sick and injured civilians. In return, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The BBC put the number at 1,000, including 190 terrorists serving sentences of 15 years or more.
On Monday the 13th, however, Israeli diplomats assured that no one who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack would be released, just as no terrorist would be released in the West Bank – but it is uncertain whether they could go to Gaza, Egypt, Turkey or Qatar.
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The Associated Press said it had obtained a copy of the agreement, the authenticity of which was confirmed by an Egyptian diplomat and a member of Hamas. The document says that, among the 33 hostages, there were 5 women, in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 terrorists sentenced to life in prison.
Still in the first phase, the Israelis would withdraw from urban centers, Palestinians would be allowed to return home in the north of the enclave and 600 humanitarian aid trucks would enter Gaza per day, according to AP.
The agreement would allow Israel to keep the Philadelphia Corridor, a strip along Gaza’s border with Egypt. The Israeli Army would also remain in an 800-meter buffer zone on the eastern and northern borders of the Palestinian enclave.
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Final stages
In the second phase, Hamas would release the remaining live hostages in exchange for more prisoners and Israel’s “full withdrawal” from Gaza, according to the draft cited by the AP. In a third phase, the bodies of the remaining hostages would be returned in exchange for a reconstruction plan lasting up to five years under international supervision. The details of the subsequent phases should be negotiated in the first phase, starting from the 16th day of the ceasefire. (WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES)
