The Israeli government is finalizing a historic ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, marking a decisive step in the war since October 7, 2023. Terrorist attack. The agreement, approved by Israel's security cabinet, will go into effect on Sunday, and the first three hostages are expected to be released. This agreement comes after weeks of intense negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised US President Biden and President-elect Trump for their role in moving the negotiations forward. Netanyahu thanked Biden for his commitment and praised Trump's assertion that Gaza must not again become a “haven for terrorism.”
Trump, in a podcast interview, claimed that his involvement sped up the process, saying: “We turned it around, and we turned it around quickly.”
Under the agreement, Hamas will release 33 hostages in the first phase, including women, children, the elderly and individuals with critical medical needs. They include 24-year-old Rumi Gonen, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival, and Sheri Bibas with her two young sons, Ariel and baby Kfir. Families have been notified of the initial releases, while details of subsequent phases will be shared 24 hours before implementation.
Netanyahu and his government discuss the issue of hostages for a ceasefire agreement at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. January 17, 2025. (Courtesy GPO)
Of the three Americans believe they are alive in GazaOnly two – Keith Siegel and Sagi Dekel Chen – were included in the first stage. Sagi's wife gave birth to their third child while he was in captivity. The name of Aidan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier, was not included in the list.
Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former official on Trump's National Security Council, told Fox News last week that excluding Alexander from the initial list “would be a major strategic mistake.”
In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners, including minors, women, and individuals suffering from health problems. Notable prisoners include Nawal Abdel Fattah, 24, convicted of trying to stab an Israeli man in 2020, and Ibrahim Zammar, 15, involved in a shooting incident in Jerusalem in 2023. Those convicted of major terror attacks remain excluded. Of the deal.
A man runs in Jerusalem on January 15, 2025, in front of a billboard displaying photos of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the attack by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. (Hazem Badr/AFP via Getty Images)
The agreement stipulates that released prisoners may not be arrested again on the same charges, nor are they required to sign any statements upon their release. For every woman or child held hostage, 30 Palestinian prisoners are released, while the release of soldiers means the release of 30 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 20 serving long sentences.
The deal also facilitates humanitarian relief operations, allowing 600 trucks of supplies into Gaza daily. By the 22nd, displaced persons from Gaza will be allowed to return to the northern areas, with security inspections limited to vehicles under Qatari-Egyptian supervision. The Israeli army will reduce its presence in certain areas while maintaining control of main roads.
The release schedule begins with three hostages on the first day, followed by four on the seventh day. Over the next five weeks, groups of three hostages will be released weekly until the 35th day. Between days 35 and 42, 12 more hostages will be released, including long-held captives including Avera Mengistu, who has been held in Gaza for a decade, and Hisham al-Sayyid, a mentally ill person who crossed into Gaza on his way to Gaza. Private and has been held there since before October 7.
This image, from undated body camera video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by the Israeli military, shows a Hamas terrorist wandering through a residential neighborhood in an undisclosed location in southern Israel. The Israeli military gathered a group of foreign correspondents on October 16, 2023 to examine a 40-minute clip of harrowing footage collected from the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. (IDF via AP)
The second phase negotiations begin on the sixteenth day of the first phase, and focus on the release of young men and soldiers and the return of the bodies. This stage begins on the forty-third day and continues for 42 days, during which discussions take place about the remaining prisoners.
“When the second phase begins, the remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, will be exchanged, and all remaining Israeli forces will be withdrawn from Gaza, making the temporary ceasefire permanent.” President Biden This came during a press conference on Wednesday. He also indicated that the third phase will include the return of the remains of the hostages who were killed in captivity and the start of a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza.
On the other hand, Netanyahu, during a cabinet meeting, emphasized this in his discussions with both President Biden and… President-elect TrumpOne point has been made clear: if negotiations on the second phase of the agreement fail, Israel will resume military operations.
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Forces from the Israeli Defense Forces are active in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. (Office of the Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman)
For the hostages' families, the agreement represents both hope and heartbreak. Ronin and Orna Neutra, who American-Israeli son Omar He was killed by Hamas and his body remained in Gaza, and the deal was described as bittersweet.
“It is a difficult moment. On the one hand, we are happy and excited for the families who we hope will be able to see their loved ones after such a long period,” Orna Neutra said. Fox News.
He added: “We really hope that this new administration will be able to achieve the agreement and that it will have all the weight to put on the various parties in the region to pursue this agreement. We trust in President Trump, you know, this is important to him and that he will make sure that happens.”
