SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—Israel’s government approved an agreement brokered by the Trump administration to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas and establish a cease-fire in Gaza, sealing a diplomatic breakthrough after months of failed talks.
The
hostage deal, which President Trump announced from the White House on Wednesday, promises to close a wound opened by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel and give momentum to the effort to end a two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead and the enclave in ruins.
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The deal will bring the first significant pause in fighting since March, and the administration hopes it will be the first step toward a longer-term settlement that will involve talks over the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an interim government to oversee Gaza.
U.S. is sending about 200 troops to Israel to support the cease-fire as part of an international team
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The cease-fire went into effect with the vote by the Israeli government. U.S. Central Command will be leading an international stabilization force and set up a civil military coordination center that could include Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, a senior U.S. official said.
The troops will help monitor the implementation of the cease-fire and eventual transition to a civilian government, according to a U.S. official. They will also help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
One of the point's in Trump's 20-point Gaza plan included the US working with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force to immediately deploy in Gaza but this is yet to be agreed between the sides and would only happen if a hostage and prisoner exchange is completed.
The US will establish a multinational force in Israel, likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE, officials say.
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Here are “some” of the details obtained by Reuters from the agreement as it was voted on by the Israeli government, and from Palestinian and Israeli sources:
CEASEFIRE AND WITHDRAWAL:
* The ceasefire begins once the agreement is approved by the Israeli government. This was announced in the early hours of Friday morning. The Israeli military later said the ceasefire was in effect as of noon.
* Within 24 hours, the Israeli military will withdraw to agreed-upon lines in order to minimise friction with Gaza's civilian population. The redeployment line pulls the Israeli forces back from some of Gaza's major urban areas but still leaves them in control of roughly half of the enclave's territory. The military on Friday announced that troops were "adjusting operational positions" within Gaza.
* The agreement says that within 72 hours of the military's redeployment,
all 48 hostages are to be released from the Gaza Strip and handed over to Israeli security forces.
* The 48 hostages include 20 who are known to be alive. Hamas has indicated that recovering the bodies of some dead hostages may take longer, as not all burial sites are known. Gal Hirsch, Israel's hostage coordinator, said on Thursday that an international force would help find remains of any dead hostages that cannot be located by Hamas.
*
After the hostages are released, Israel will release 250 Palestinians convicted or suspected of security crimes, as well as 1,700 adults and 22 minors detained in Gaza during the war, and the bodies of 360 fighters. Palestinians detained in Gaza will be released back to Gaza. Prisoners convicted of killing Israelis will be released to Gaza or deported abroad, and will be barred permanently from the West Bank and Israel.
Israeli defense officials warned that many of those released could rise to senior positions in Hamas and Fatah in the coming years. 'We are essentially releasing the next Yahya Sinwar,' a senior defense official told Haaretz.
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* Humanitarian aid will be ramped up into Gaza, and permitted to travel freely between north and south Gaza on the two main roads. Two Israeli officials said 600 trucks would soon start entering Gaza daily.
The United Nations plans to ramp up its delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza in the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a top UN official said on Thursday, hours after a deal was struck between Israel and Hamas.
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* According to an Israeli security official the trucks will carry mostly food, medical equipment, shelter equipment, fuel and cooking gas. Equipment needed to fix damaged infrastructure such as water lines, sewage and bakeries will also be allowed in.
* Gaza residents will be allowed to leave Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah crossing in coordination with Egypt, subject to Israeli approval and under supervision of an EU delegation, according to the security official. Gaza residents will also be allowed back into the enclave through Rafah subject to Israeli approval and after a mechanism is agreed between Israel and Egypt.
Israel's government approved the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal early on Friday, setting the clock ticking on the first phase of an agreement that aims to end the two-year-old war.
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Israeli troops on Friday morning began withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip as part of the
cease-fire deal, Israeli and Arab officials said. Israel’s government approved the agreement overnight local time, which calls on Israeli forces to pull back to a line marked in yellow on a map.
(YouTube & Gaza ceasefire now in effect, 72-hour hostage release countdown begins)
Hamas said it would begin deploying internal security forces in the areas where the Israeli forces have withdrawn.
Officials involved in the negotiations say final details are still being smoothed out between Israel and Hamas
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I’m still watching and waiting to hear the details on how and when (Phase 3 or 4?) points 13 & 14 of the peace plan will come into effect, or if that will be the breakdown of the entire thing?
13.
Hamas and other factions agree not to have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form.
All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities,
will be destroyed and not rebuilt.
There will be a process of
demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons
permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration programme all verified by the independent monitors.
New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbours.
14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbours or its people.
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