After 15 months of intense conflict triggered by Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, a historic ceasefire and hostage release deal was reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday. The agreement, confirmed by officials from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, is set to take effect on Sunday, January 19, with the first hostages scheduled for release that day.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani confirmed the deal and the agreed-upon start date during a press conference in Doha. The terms of the agreement, which remain largely unpublished, include an initial six-week ceasefire, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel.
As part of the agreement, Hamas is to release 33 Israeli hostages over the first 42 days of the ceasefire, with the first three hostages freed on the first day. Four more will be released on the seventh day, and three hostages will be freed every seven days thereafter. The final group of 14 will be released during the last week of the first phase.
The fate of the remaining 65 hostages hinges on the success of a second phase of the ceasefire, which will begin negotiations approximately two weeks into the truce. There are still some unresolved clauses in the agreement, and Israeli officials are expected to finalize the deal soon after a meeting of the security cabinet on Thursday morning.
A significant part of the deal involves the release of over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners, including at least 250 individuals involved in terrorist activities. The prisoners, including those captured in Gaza since the war’s outbreak, will be freed in exchange for the hostages, although those who participated directly in the October 7th massacre will not be released.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who was involved in confirming the deal, praised the agreement, stating that it would be the first step towards ensuring Gaza does not become a “terrorist safe haven” again.
However, the deal is not without challenges. The final approval will require a vote from Israel’s security cabinet, and while Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to secure the majority approval, opposition from hardline members of his coalition remains.
The deal also raises important questions about the future governance of Gaza, as Israel rejects Hamas’s rule, and no consensus has been reached on an alternative authority. The future of Gaza remains uncertain as both sides will need to negotiate post-war security arrangements and reconstruction efforts.
The ceasefire follows a war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 civilians and taking 251 hostages. Since then, more than 46,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, though these numbers have not been independently verified.