After 15 months of conflict, Hamas and Israel have reached a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement, mediators confirmed.
The deal would come into force on Sunday so long as it was approved by the Israeli cabinet, the BBC quoted Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani as saying.
The truce would halt the war in Gaza, boost humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families, US President Joe Biden hoped.
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Biden for promoting the deal, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya hailed it as the outcome of Palestinian resilience.
Even after the announcement of the agreement, Israeli air strikes killed more than 20 people, including 12 living in a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza.
The Israeli military campaign to dismantle Hamas began in the wake of an unprecedented attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then and many more displaced.
Hamas is said to be holding 94 of the hostages, with 34 are presumed dead. Four Israelis were abducted before the war, the report said, adding two of whom were dead.
In the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – would be exchanged for Palestinians in Israeli jails, the Qatari premier said.
Under the deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza. Displaced Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes and hundreds of aid truck will enter the territory daily.
On the 16th day, the second phase of talks will begin for the release of the remaining hostages and a full Israeli troop withdrawal.
In the third and final phase, the reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave will start and any remaining hostages’ bodies will be returned.
Biden acknowledged the assistance of President-elect Donald Trump, who pushed the warring parties to release the hostages before his swearing-in on Jan. 20.
The outgoing US leader told reporters: “In these past few days, we’ve been speaking as one team.”
PAN Monitor/mud
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