Israel and Hamas have reached a deal to halt the fighting in the Gaza Strip and free more than a third of the Israeli hostages, who have had to endure more than 15 months of captivity, officials say.
The breakthrough deal is the first of its kind in more than a year. It will create a 42-day cease-fire in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The pause in fighting will allow Israel and the terror group Hamas to negotiate the terms to release the 97 hostages remaining in Gaza.
Only 60 hostages are believed to be alive, including three Americans: Edan Alexander, 20, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Keith Siegel, 65.
During the initial phase of the cease-fire, Hamas has agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in jails.
The initial wave of hostages would include women, children, men over 50, and those who were wounded and sick.
It remains unclear who will be among those released, but it would finally shed light on the status of some of the hostages, including the Bibas toddlers, who Hamas claimed are dead but has yet to provide any confirmation.
The first day of the cease-fire is expected to see the freedom of three hostages as a sign of goodwill and compliance.
After that, another four hostages will be released on the seventh day of the cease-fire, with further releases happening every week as agreed to by both parties.
During the first phase, Israel has also agreed to pull its soldiers back from the frontlines and into a buffer zone about half a mile wide at the border between Gaza and Israel.
Israel has also compromised and agreed to withdraw from the so-called Netzarim Corridor that had blocked off access to northern Gaza, with IDF troops set to leave the area by the 22nd day of the cease-fire.
In exchange, Hamas has dropped its demand that Israel should leave the Philadelphi Corridor, the strip of territory along Gaza’s border with Egypt, including the Rafah Crossing.
The deal would allow more than a million displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, most of which have been destroyed by the intense fighting.
The agreement also calls for humanitarian aid deliveries to increase across Gaza with hundreds of new trucks carrying food, medicine, fuel, and other supplies to ease the humanitarian crisis.
Should the first phase be completed, Hamas and Israel will continue the cease-fire to negotiate the terms to release all the remaining living hostages in exchange for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza.
The terms of the second phase remain the most contentious as Israel has repeatedly said it would not leave the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely eradicated.
The terror group has said it would not release every hostage until it sees proof that Israel is out of all sectors of the Palestinian territory.
Should Israel and Hamas reach an agreement on the second phase, the war will end with the bodies of the remaining hostages returned in exchange for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan to rebuild Gaza.
The reconstruction would be carried out under international supervision, with the future governance of Gaza still in the air as Israel maintains that Hamas can no longer be the de facto leader of the territory.
With Post wires
