Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage agreement after meetings with the Qatari prime minister, a source familiar with the talks told the BBC.
There was no confirmation from the Israeli government or Hamas, but a Hamas official previously told the BBC that the movement had agreed to a draft from Qatari, American and Egyptian mediators.
US President-elect Donald Trump, whose envoy participated in the talks, wrote on social media: “We have an agreement on hostages in the Middle East.”
Details of the three-phase plan have not been released, but reports say 33 of the hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
Negotiations on the second phase – which is supposed to see the release of the remaining hostages, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the achievement of “sustainable calm” – are scheduled to begin in two weeks.
The third and final phase will include the reconstruction of Gaza – which could take years – and the return of the bodies of any remaining hostages.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Strip. Most of the population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to the struggle to get aid to those in need.
Israel says 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas, and 34 of them are presumed dead. In addition, there were four Israelis who were kidnapped before the war, two of whom died.
