After months of deadlock and more than 15 months of war, Israel and the militant Hamas reached a fresh Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal Wednesday, according to a U.S. official.
The deal, still not publicly announced, includes a six-week initial ceasefire phase and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel, an official briefed on the negotiations said.
According to USA Today, the agreement, which is expected to unfold in three phases, was mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.
The truce is intended to halt fighting that’s devastated Gaza and destabilized the Middle East.
It comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump was sworn in as the U.S.’s 47th president.
The deal also comes after several previous waves of negotiations stalled and failed to reach a sequel to an agreement reached in November last year during which 105 hostages were released in a weeklong truce.
As part of that agreement, 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel were freed before fighting resumed.
The first phase of the deal is expected to see 33 civilians and women soldiers held hostage in Gaza released in the first 42 days.
In return, Israel will free as many as 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and its troops will withdraw from city centers in Gaza, a key coastal road and a strategic strip of land along the border with Egypt.
Negotiations to reach the second phase, when the remaining hostages would be released, would likely begin on the 16th day of the implementation of the deal.
In the second phase, more Israeli troops would also pull out of the Palestinian territory. A third phase, if it’s reached, would effectively mark the end of the war
Hamas kidnapped 251 people and killed more than 1,200 more on Oct. 7, 2023, when it attacked communities in southern Israel, triggering a massive military response from Israel.
Israel’s government believes that 94 hostages are still in Gaza, 60 of whom are assumed to be alive. Four of the hostages were taken in earlier incidents.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military operation, according to figures from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced.
The war in Gaza has upended the entire Middle East region, mushrooming into Israeli conflicts with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen and Iran itself.
The war also appeared to create conditions that led to the downfall of Syrian president Bashar Assad.
