Gaza ceasefire agreement: Israel and Hamas agree to release hostages

The Israeli government and Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in Gaza on Wednesday.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani confirmed this during a press conference, specifying that the ceasefire would come into effect on Sunday January 19.

“Let us hope that this is the last page of the war,” Al Thani said, adding that Qatar will continue its joint efforts with Egypt and the United States to ensure that all parties respect their commitments.

The agreement provides for the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas.

Israel will also release a number of Palestinian prisoners.

US President Joe Biden confirmed and welcomed the news of the agreement which he said will “end the fighting in Gaza, increase much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and allow hostages to be reunited with their families after more than 15 months of captivity”.

Mr. Biden added that the agreement “is the result not only of the extreme pressure faced by Hamas and the change in the regional equation following a ceasefire in Lebanon and the weakening of Iran, but also tenacious and meticulous American diplomacy. My diplomacy has never stopped making efforts in this direction.

He had a special thought for “all the families whose loved ones were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7 and the many innocent people who died in the war that followed.”

“Soon the hostages will return to their families,” Mr. Biden said.

The war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas incursion into southern Israel that left some 1,200 dead and 251 hostages captured.

The ensuing IDF offensive left more than 64,000 people dead in Gaza territory, according to the local health ministry.

A dispute over the Philadelphia Corridor, also known as Saladin, emerged at the last minute of negotiations. It is a strategically important strip along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

The conflict has been resolved, according to sources at CBS News, the BBC’s American partner network.

United States President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on Monday, January 20, wrote on his social networking site Truth Social: “We have a deal for hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly, thank you! “.

In a statement, a group of family members of American hostages thanked President Joe Biden, President-elect Trump and their teams for their efforts.

“The tireless collaboration between Israel, Egypt, Qatar, the United States and other parties has been instrumental in achieving this moment,” they said.

President Joe Biden said the deal between Israel and Hamas had three phases.

• The first: a “total ceasefire” for six weeks. Israeli Defense Forces will withdraw from Gaza, while Hamas will release hostages.
• The second phase is the negotiation of a “permanent end of war” agreement. If negotiations last more than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue, the US president said.
• Third, Palestinians will be able to return to their old neighborhoods throughout the territory, a reconstruction plan will be launched and humanitarian aid will arrive in greater numbers.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, expressed confidence that the agreement would hold, but that it depended on the parties involved: “We hope that the parties will adhere to the agreement,” he said. he declared during a press conference.

A Palestinian request was for the entry of some 600 trucks of aid and medical supplies, including tents, which will be able to enter the territory through the Rafah crossing.

The aid also includes the arrival of supplies to repair vital infrastructure such as hospitals, power plants, water and sewage networks.

In Israel, the office of the president, Isaac Herzog, said the president met with the president of the International Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, as part of preparations for the transfer of the hostages.

A BBC Verify investigation found that 94 of the 251 hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023, were still being held in Gaza. But among them, only 60 are alive and 34 dead, according to various sources.

In 2023, another 109 hostages were released following negotiations.

President Herzog emphasized “the extreme importance and sensitivity of this mission,” according to his office’s statement.

The Red Cross team, the statement added, briefed the president on preparations for the transfer of the hostages and the “various challenges they face.”

According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “several clauses of the agreement remain unresolved.” They should be addressed in the coming hours.