This first-phase agreement includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed upon boundary and an exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.
It is expected that the deal will officially be signed in Egypt on Thursday, news agencies and various Israeli media are reporting, although this hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Details what this boundary is and when the hostage-prisoner exchange will take place haven’t yet been released.
Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on X that “the details will be announced later.”
Hamas has said separately that the agreement also allows for the entry of aid into Gaza.
What happens now?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his cabinet on Thursday to seek approval for the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the agreed upon boundary.
A spokesperson confirmed that a cabinet session was scheduled for Thursday, according to agencies and Israeli media.
The time is as yet unclear.
When will the hostages be freed?
The living hostages are apparently to be released within 72 hours, news agencies are reporting, although it is unclear if this is 72 hours from the deal being officially signed by both parties or Israel’s cabinet approving it.
Either way, this could see Hamas, as well as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, releasing the living hostages as early as the weekend, AP news agency said, citing Hamas sources.
US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that he believed all the hostages held in Gaza, including the bodies of those deceased, will be “coming back” Monday.
“We think they’ll all be coming back on Monday, … and that’ll include the bodies of the dead,” Trump said in a phone interview on Fox News.
Logistics of hostage return being worked out in Cairo: Rubio
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What do we know about the Palestinian prisoners?
Senior Hamas official Zaher Jabarin said that the militant group had handed over a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
Jabarin, who formed part of the Hamas delegation at the Sharm El-Sheikh negotiations, said in a statement that the list was prepared in accordance with “the criteria agreed upon in the agreement,” AP reported.
He said the group still “awaiting final agreement on the names,” and that they will be announced “once the relevant procedures and understandings are completed.”
Crucial details still to be negotiated
Officials stressed that the deal is only on the first phase of a ceasefire agreement.
Details such as a postwar administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas are apparently yet to be negotiated, agencies are saying.
