What we know about the Gaza ceasefire agreement and hostages release

The Israeli army says Hamas has handed over all dwelling hostages held in Gaza in change for Palestinian prisoners and detainees, as a part of the primary part of Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

The settlement noticed a ceasefire come into impact at 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on Friday and elevated quantities of assist enter the Strip over the weekend.

As soon as part one is full, negotiations are anticipated to observe over the main points of the latter phases.

Here is what we all know.

The ceasefire deal ought to see Hamas release all the 48 Israeli and foreign hostages it’s nonetheless holding after two years of battle, solely 20 of whom are confirmed to be alive.

All however one had been among the many 251 folks kidnapped in the course of the Palestinian group’s assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, throughout which about 1,200 different folks had been killed. Israel responded by launching a army marketing campaign in Gaza, throughout which greater than 67,000 folks have been killed, in line with the territory’s Hamas-run well being ministry.

On Monday morning, Hamas handed 20 dwelling hostages in two teams to the Worldwide Committee of the Pink Cross (ICRC).

Israeli authorities stated the primary group comprised Eitan Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Man Gilboa-Dalal and Matan Angrest.

The second group was made up of Bar Kupershtein, Evyatar David, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zangauker, David Cunio, Eitan Horn, Rom Braslabski and Ariel Cunio.

A replica of the ceasefire settlement printed by Israeli media states the stays of the entire deceased hostages also needs to be handed over by 12:00 native time (09:00 GMT) on Monday. However it additionally seems to acknowledge that Hamas and different Palestinian factions might not be capable to find all of them inside that timeframe.

An Israeli official stated that a world process drive would begin work to find the stays of anybody who was not returned.

In change for the hostages, Israel has agreed to launch 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, together with 15 minors.

Up to date lists of the names of the detainees and prisoners had been printed by the Hamas-run Prisoners Media Workplace on Monday morning.

The checklist of prisoners doesn’t embody excessive profile figures serving a number of life sentences for lethal assaults on Israelis – together with Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat – whose launch Hamas had demanded.

Israeli media reported final week that round 100 of the 250 shall be launched into the occupied West Financial institution, 15 to occupied East Jerusalem, and 135 shall be deported to the Gaza Strip or elsewhere.

It’s unclear whether or not a delay within the launch of all deceased hostages may additionally delay the discharge of the Palestinian prisoners.

Forward of the discharge of the hostages, Israeli troops withdrew to a line that has left them in command of 53% of Gaza – the primary of three levels of Israeli withdrawal, in line with the Trump plan.

A multinational drive of round 200 troops overseen by the US army will monitor the ceasefire, in line with a senior US official. It’s believed the drive contains troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

US officers have stated no US forces shall be on the bottom in Gaza.

The 20-point plan, which you can read in full here, says that whether it is agreed by either side, the battle would “instantly finish”.

It says Gaza shall be demilitarised and all “army, terror and offensive infrastructure” shall be destroyed.

It additionally says Gaza shall be initially ruled by a short lived transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats – supervised by a “Board of Peace” headed and chaired by Trump and involving former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Governance of the Strip would ultimately be handed over to the Palestinian Authority – which administers the West Financial institution – as soon as it has undergone reforms.

Hamas – which has run the territory since 2007 – would play no future function in its governance, straight or not directly, in line with the plan.

Hamas members can be supplied amnesty in the event that they dedicated to peaceable co-existence, or can be supplied secure passage to a different nation.

No Palestinians can be pressured to depart Gaza and those that wished to depart can be free to return.

A “Trump financial improvement plan to rebuild and energise Gaza” can be created by a panel of specialists.

There are more likely to be a number of factors of competition in the course of the negotiations over later phases of the deal.

Hamas has beforehand refused to put down its weapons, saying it could solely achieve this as soon as a Palestinian state had been established.

The group additionally made no point out of disarming in its preliminary response to the plan final weekend, fuelling hypothesis that its place had not modified.

And although Israel has agreed to Trump’s plan in full, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to push again on the Palestinian Authority being concerned in a post-war Gaza, at the same time as he stood on the rostrum subsequent to its president final week.

Hamas has additionally stated it expects to have some future function in Gaza as a part of “a unified Palestinian motion”.

One other sticking level is the extent of Israeli troop withdrawal. Israel says its first withdrawal will see it retaining management of round 53% of Gaza. The White Home plan signifies additional withdrawals to round 40% after which 15%.

That remaining stage can be a “safety perimeter” that will “stay till Gaza is correctly safe from any resurgent terror risk”.

The wording right here is obscure and provides no clear timeline for full Israeli withdrawal – one thing Hamas is more likely to need readability on.