Israel and Hamas reached an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip this Wednesday, January 15. “We have a hostage agreement,” declared US President-elect Donald Trump. This agreement must cover a period of six weeks during which 33 hostages should be released : women, children, the sick and men over 50 years old.
First, living hostages will be released as a priority. Meanwhile, Israel must gradually release dozens of Palestinian prisoners for each hostage. In all, around a thousand Palestinian prisoners will be released. At the same time, the IDF will gradually withdraw from the Netzarim corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza, allowing a million Gazans to return home to the north.
A few legal steps are necessary before this agreement is put in place. We must wait Thursday morning for a vote from the Israeli political-security cabinet but also from the government, which should not pose a problem. Families who are victims of terrorism will have 48 hours to challenge the release of Palestinian prisoners before the Supreme Court. At the end of these two days, this agreement could be implemented.
If the agreement is concluded, the first hostages released could be released as early as Sunday. Concerning the French hostages, being over 50 years old, they should be among the first released. It remains to be seen whether they are still alive, which is believed to be the case.
Read more
Belgium
