Qatar, which helped broker the deal along with Egypt, the United Sates and Turkey, said it was the “first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid”.
On his Truth Social network, Trump wrote that “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”Here is what we know so far about the agreement, which is set to be signed Thursday in Egypt:
What does it include?
A Hamas official said the group will exchange 20 living hostages for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, 250 of them serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since the start of the war.
The exchange should take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the deal, which was also “agreed with Palestinian factions”, a Palestinian source with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP.The deal also provides for “specific Israeli (troop) withdrawals to coincide with the exchange, and the entry of aid” into the famine-stricken Gaza Strip, the source added.Under the deal, a daily minimum of 400 trucks of aid will enter the Gaza Strip for the first five days of the ceasefire, to be increased in following days, according to the Hamas official.
It also provides for the “return of displaced persons from the south of the Gaza Strip to Gaza (City) and the north immediately,” they added.
Hamas has called on Trump to compel Israel to fully implement the agreement and “not allow it to evade or procrastinate in implementing what has been agreed”.
What’s next?
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said both sides had agreed “on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will convene his government on Thursday to approve the agreement.
The deal will be formally signed on Thursday around midday in Egypt, a source with knowledge of the agreement told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A Hamas official said negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire would begin “immediately”.
Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza called for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
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