Gaza ceasefire agreement at a glance
Last Updated on January 17, 2025 6:51 am
The Israel-Hamas war has been going on for 15 months. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the brutal Israeli attacks. Mediators have managed to reach a phased agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war. Reuters reports that the agreement was completed on Wednesday, an official familiar with the talks said. It will take effect on Sunday.
Let’s take a look at what the agreement contains:
Although not officially announced, the agreement sets a six-week initial ceasefire.
The terms of the agreement include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Hamas in Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of prisoners.
The ceasefire agreement will take effect in three phases. In the first phase, 33 hostages will be released. In exchange, Israel will release 50 Palestinians for every female soldier. In addition, 30 Palestinians will be released for each of the remaining civilian hostages.
The second phase of the ceasefire will begin on the 16th day of the agreement. At this time, the process of releasing the remaining male hostages and soldiers held in Gaza will begin.
The third phase of the agreement is expected to agree on how to implement long-term issues. This includes the formation of an alternative government in Gaza and a reconstruction plan. This work will be carried out under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to attack Gaza two days before the ceasefire. The Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 81 people have been killed in attacks by Israeli forces in the last 24 hours.
The outgoing US Biden administration was determined to start a ceasefire in Gaza before the end of its term. At the same time, President-elect Donald Trump has threatened several times that there will be serious problems if a hostage transfer agreement is not reached before his inauguration on January 20.
In addition, the Israeli organization ‘Hostages and Missing Families Forum’, which was formed to demand the release of the hostages, has also been demanding an immediate hostage exchange agreement.
Faced with pressure from all sides, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Saturday that a high-level delegation would be sent to finalize a hostage exchange and ceasefire agreement with Hamas.