The cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas was formally signed by negotiators in Doha, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday night.
The proposed terms, which include the release of hostages and at least a temporary pause in fighting in Gaza, were agreed to by the Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams, the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement.
The deal still needs to go before the Israeli security cabinet, who is expected to approve the long-awaited peace agreement.
Israel’s cabinet was initially planning to vote on the plan on Friday, though one source told The Times of Israel the vote may be pushed back to Saturday.
Earlier Thursday, last minute issues led Netanyahu to delay the cabinet vote over government infighting and the terror group’s objection to part of the deal that allowed the Jewish state the ability to veto the release of certain Palestinian prisoners accused of murder.
Here’s how the proposed three phases would work out, according to a current draft obtained by news outlets:
Phase 1
- The first phase will halt fighting for 42 days with 33 Israeli hostages incrementally freed from captivity in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
- There are 97 hostages – civilians and soldiers – in captivity, but only 60 are thought to be alive.
- On the first day of cease-fire, now set for Sunday, Hamas will release three hostages, then another four on the seventh day. After that, there will be weekly releases during the initial six-week period.
- Israel will let 30 Palestinian women, children and elderly imprisoned go in exchange for every civilian hostage freed from Gaza. For every female Israeli soldier released, the Jewish state will deliver 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 facing life sentences.
- For bodies returned to Israel, all Palestinian women and children detained from Gaza by Israel since the war started on Oct. 7, 2023 will be released. Meanwhile, Israeli forces will pull back into a buffer zone in Gaza and near the Israeli border that will allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza City and northern Gaza.
- About 600 trucks of humanitarian aid will flow in Gaza daily during the cease-fire, including 50 of them carrying fuel.
- Negotiations over second phase of the agreement will start on the 16th day of the first phase.
Phase 2
- If Israel and Hamas reach a further agreement, all remaining hostages are supposed to be freed and in return Israel will completely withdraw from Gaza during this phase.
- Reaching that next step could prove difficult, because Israel has said it won’t relent to a total withdrawal until the terror organization’s military and political power is wiped out.
- Hamas has said it won’t release the last hostages until all Israeli troops leave. Hamas needs to agree to remove itself from power — something it has hinted it is willing to do — but could still be a factor in a future government, which Israel does not want.
- While the draft agreement states a second phase deal must be reached by the end of phase one, Hamas had called for written guarantees that the temporary peace could continue until an agreement is struck. The terror group has said though it will abide by a verbal assurances from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. But Israel has not agreed to that and airstrikes could potentially start again.
Phase 3
- The third – and final phase — would entail Hamas trading the bodies of the rest of the remaining hostages in Gaza in return for a 3- to 5-year rebuilding plan in the decimated Palestinian territory under international supervision.
Israeli hostages would be swapped for a larger number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, according to the agreement.
About 100 hostages are estimated to still be trapped in Gaza with at least a third of them believed to be dead.
With Post wires
