What We Know About New Gaza Deal

Cairo: US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza, after days of indirect talks in Egypt.

Qatar, which brokered the deal along with Egypt, the United States and Turkey, said it was “the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid.”

“All hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its Soldiers to an agreed-upon line as the first steps towards a Strong, Resilient and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social network.

Here’s what we know so far about the agreement, which is scheduled to be signed in Egypt on Thursday:

What does it include?

A Hamas official said the group would replace 20 live hostages with 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, 250 of whom will be sentenced to life imprisonment and another 1,700 who have been detained since the beginning of the war.

A Palestinian source with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP that the swap should take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement, which “was also agreed with Palestinian groups”.

The source added that the agreement also envisages “the withdrawal of Israeli (troops) to coincide with the population exchange and the arrival of aid to the famine-stricken Gaza Strip.”

According to the Hamas official, according to the agreement, at least 400 trucks of aid per day will enter the Gaza Strip during the first five days of the ceasefire, and this amount will be increased in the following days.

They added that it also ensured “the immediate return of displaced persons from the south of the Gaza Strip to Gaza (City) and the north.”

Hamas called on Trump to force Israel to fully implement the agreement and “not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what was agreed upon.”

What’s next?

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said both sides agreed “on all provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government on Thursday to approve the agreement.

The agreement will be officially signed in Egypt at noon on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the agreement told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A Hamas official said negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire would begin “immediately”.

Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza called for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages held in Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the gradual withdrawal of Israel from the region.