Hope on the Horizon: Israel and Hamas Forge a Groundbreaking Ceasefire in Gaza

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Israel and Hamas have come to a consensus on a multi-phase ceasefire that binds them to cease hostilities in Gaza, as announced separately by President Biden and Qatar’s Prime Minister on Wednesday.

“This arrangement will bring an end to the conflict in Gaza, enhance urgently needed humanitarian relief to Palestinian civilians, and reunite hostages with their families after being held captive for over 15 months,” Biden stated. He noted it resembled a proposal he presented in May 2024, which received support from the United Nations Security Council.

Although neither Israel nor Hamas swiftly validated the agreement, officials involved in the negotiations informed NPR that both parties have established a preliminary ceasefire aimed at concluding more than 15 months of the most intense conflict witnessed between the two factions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicated that there are “a few unresolved matters,” but expressed hope that “the specifics will be finalized tonight.”

The agreement follows weeks of extensive indirect discussions in the Qatari capital, Doha, mediated by representatives from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. Uniquely, envoys from both President Biden’s administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team were present, urging the parties to finalize an agreement.

The ceasefire is expected to commence on Sunday, as stated by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Numerous technical aspects of the agreement remain ambiguous, and it will necessitate formal approval from Israel’s cabinet before it can be implemented. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog urged “the cabinet and the Israeli government to accept and endorse it when presented,” expressing, “At an immense cost in lives, through substantial security, diplomatic, and societal efforts, we have generated a moment of opportunity. We must take advantage of it.”

Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, announced he was curtailing a visit to Europe to return to Israel for a government convening on the ceasefire, anticipated to occur on Thursday. The country’s culture and sports minister, Miki Zohar, stated in a release that he will support the agreement on Thursday with his cabinet peers. “It is the responsibility of every governmental minister to vote in favor of the deal,” Zohar remarked.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas released a statement that detailed a meeting between one of its senior leaders, Mohammed Darwish, and Ziad al-Nakhalah, the leader of another militant group operating in Gaza, the Islamic Jihad. The announcement indicated that the two discussed “emphasizing the exertion of all efforts to ensure the success of this round of negotiations.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres commended the news of the agreement, stating, “Our priority must be to mitigate the immense suffering caused by this conflict. … I call upon all parties to ensure the swift, unimpeded, and safe humanitarian relief for all civilians in need.”

A deal in three stages

However, numerous challenges remain, with fighting still occurring. Palestinian officials reported that Israeli strikes resulted in over 50 fatalities on Wednesday. Yet, if everything proceeds as planned, the deal is anticipated to be enacted within days and unfold in three phases over an extensive time frame.

In the initial phase, which will last six weeks, Hamas agrees to release 33 Israeli captives in exchange for a significantly larger number of Palestinian detainees. The exact number involved is unclear; the group aims for more detainees per each hostage released alive but has not disclosed how many are alive. According to Israeli authorities, most, though not all, are believed to be alive.

The aggregate number of Palestinians liberated from Israeli detention is projected to be around 1,000, based on a Palestinian official who was not authorized to speak to the press.

Israel will lessen — but not completely eliminate — its military presence in Gaza during the initial phase. Hamas will not release the last hostages, and Israel will not fully withdraw from Gaza until a subsequent phase. The specific timeframes involved were not immediately disclosed.

President-elect Trump remarked on his social media platform about a deal concerning hostages. “THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY,” he posted on his Truth Social network.

In the meantime, a representative for Israeli President Isaac Herzog shared a photograph on social media depicting Herzog meeting with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, at his presidential residence in Jerusalem, in what the spokesperson described as “part of the preparations for the hostage arrangement.”

It’s the first truce since November 2023

This will mark the first official ceasefire since a one-week ceasefire in November 2023, which involved the exchange of approximately 100 Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails. Subsequently, additional hostages in Gaza were rescued or discovered deceased.

The conflict commenced on October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas attacked southern Israel from Gaza, resulting in around 1,200 casualties and the abduction of more than 250 individuals into Gaza.

“We, the families of 98 hostages, express our immense joy and relief regarding the agreement to bring our loved ones home,” stated a communication from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “We extend our heartfelt appreciation to President-elect Trump, President Biden, both administrations, and the international mediators for making this feasible.”

The conflict has resulted in over 46,000 Palestinian deaths, according to health authorities in Gaza, who reported that the majority were women and children. The Israeli military claims that 405 soldiers have perished in battles since their incursion into Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have engaged in multiple wars since the Palestinian militant group took control of the Gaza Strip away from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. However, none of the earlier conflicts have reached such length or lethality.