What we know about the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

Shirin Jaafari: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office put out a statement today saying that several items have yet to be finalized and that they hope that this can be done soon. I also want to be clear here that even if everybody agrees to this deal, it will have to be formally ratified by the Israeli Cabinet. So, there are still some moving parts, but I do have a draft of the deal in front of me. A Hamas official shared this document with me today. And what I see here is that this deal is going to happen in three phases. In the first one, Hamas is going to release 33 Israeli hostages. These are mainly women, children and older adults as well as people who’ve been injured. And in exchange, Israel will release a number of Palestinian prisoners. It will also start withdrawing its troops from parts of the Gaza Strip. That means Palestinians who have been displaced can return to what is left of their homes. And then, aid is going to start to get into the strip. This is the initial phase, and it’s going to take about six weeks.

So, as the first phase is taking place, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are going to discuss the details for the second and third phases. And those discussions will revolve around how many and which hostages and prisoners are going to be released, where Israeli forces are going to be stationed, and who will govern Gaza once the Israeli forces are out.

That’s right. This is a huge moment. This war has gone on for about 15 months. And, you know, there’s been so much bloodshed and heartache. Thousands of people have been killed in Israel’s military operation in Gaza and the strip has been decimated. If you look at the pictures and the videos coming out of the Gaza Strip, it just looks like a wasteland. Today, as the news of the ceasefire broke, there was celebration in Gaza. A video shows a woman kneeling on the ground as she’s thanking God over and over again for the end to this war. I also reached Dr. Majed Jaber. I’ve been in touch with him throughout the war, and he’s been treating patients since the war began.

He said, “I’ve lost a lot of family members. We’re homeless. I was trying to make ends meet and survive. And just to see some light finally at the end of a tunnel is just something I cannot express with words.”

Jabar also told me that while he’s happy, he’s also waiting to hear more.

He said: “Times and times. There have been a lot of violations to these agreements. We don’t know what’s going to happen with this far-right Israeli government. Maybe the first phase of the deal goes on. Well, but what about the rest?“

The two people are trying to figure out, you know, the details of the deal and who will be released and how these different phases are going to play out. As the news broke, protesters in Tel Aviv were out on the streets calling for the release of the hostages. They’re chanting, “There’s nothing more important than every hostage coming back.” Also, a spokesperson for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of the hostages, told us today that this is a positive step. But the families are hoping that all of the remaining hostages will return home.
 
They said, “We urgently call for a framework that ensures the return of every person held captive. After more than 460 days, our loved ones continue to endure unimaginable conditions.”

One of the main sticking points has been whether this is going to be a permanent ceasefire or a temporary one. Israeli officials have said in the past that they want to be able to continue their military operations until all of the hostages are back home. But Hamas officials say they want a complete end to the military operations. Israel also wants to keep control of one strategic point in Gaza, the Philadelphi corridor. That is the strip along the Gaza border with Egypt. It also wants to keep some of its forces in a buffer zone inside Gaza. The size of that buffer zone has been a sticking point, and Hamas wants it to be smaller. The Israelis want it to be bigger. Another issue has been the future of Gaza and also the prisoners and the hostages that are going to be released. Which ones? Who is going to be released for how many prisoners? And you know, those numbers and those details are some of the sticking points.

Yeah, you’re right. So, we’ve been here before, several times in the past year. It just seems like the two sides are so close and a deal is imminent. But then talks fell apart at the last minute and each side blamed the other. So, what changed? First, it seems like both sides are exhausted. Hamas has lost a considerable number of its fighters and its top leaders have been killed by Israel. So, that might have helped. And then, this time around, officials from the incoming US administration have been involved in the negotiations, specifically Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff. He has been involved in the discussions and the negotiations. Trump recently said that he wants this deal to be done before he takes office. He said that if this doesn’t happen, “all hell will break out.” This was his comment. So, he’s been very clear about the fact that he wants this deal to be done before he takes office.