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Hostages taken by militant group Hamas would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
US President Joe Biden said in Washington: “This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.”
A Palestinian official close to the talks said mediators were trying to get both sides to stop hostilities before the truce starts on Sunday.
‘Tears of joy’
Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, with votes slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.
Family members of hostages held in Gaza celebrated in Tel Aviv after Israel and Hamas agreed on a hostage deal and ceasefire. Source: EPA / Abit Sultan
The accord was expected to win approval despite opposition from some hardliners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who repeated his condemnation of the agreement on Thursday.
In a social media statement announcing the ceasefire, Hamas called the pact “an achievement for our people” and “a turning point”.
Before October 7, around half of Gaza’s more than two million residents were under 18 years old. Over 14,000 of those children have since been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Source: AP / Ramez Habboub
Defusing regional tensions
The agreement calls for a surge in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the “priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict”.
The pact follows months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the US backing, and comes just ahead of Trump’s presidential inauguration next week.
‘Constructive step towards peace’
“This agreement is a constructive step towards peace and stability in the region, it must mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
Biden said the two teams had “been speaking as one” though Trump’s administration will largely handle implementation of the accord.
The path ahead
The third stage is expected to address the return of all remaining bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the UN.
If all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel must still agree on a vision for post-war Gaza, a formidable challenge involving security guarantees for Israel and many billions of dollars in investment for reconstruction.
Who will run Gaza after the ceasefire?
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas
