Situation at a glance: Israel and Hamas are wrestling with the final details of the Gaza agreement

Israel and the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas have reportedly agreed in principle on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip – only the final detailed questions are said to remain open. During the mediation talks in Qatar’s capital Doha, details regarding the planned withdrawal of the Israeli army from areas in the Gaza Strip still need to be clarified, the “Times of Israel” reported last night, citing Arab negotiators.

Hamas has asked Israel to provide maps and a timetable for the withdrawal, which international mediators will monitor as it is implemented, sources close to Hamas said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Washington that it was now Hamas’ turn. “At this moment, as we sit here, we await the final word from Hamas on their consent,” Blinken said. He assumes that an agreement will be reached – the minister left it open whether this will be the case before Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President next Monday.

Arab negotiators quoted by the Times of Israel speculated that a settlement in the more than 15-month war could be announced today or Thursday in the form of a joint statement from the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The three countries mediate between Israel and Hamas because they do not negotiate directly with each other.

Demonstrators are for a deal – and against it

According to local media, thousands of people gathered in the Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv in the evening in the hope that the Islamists would agree to a draft agreement that would, among other things, release Hamas hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israel’s prisons. In Jerusalem, however, hundreds protested against such a deal. “A released terrorist is tomorrow’s murderer,” said one of the participants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with the negotiating team and members of the security apparatus, according to the Times of Israel. Negotiations in Doha on the final details would continue throughout the night, his office said. The families of the hostages would be informed of the latest status as soon as possible. An agreement would have to be approved by the security cabinet and the entire government.

Hospitals and medical teams in Israel are already preparing to treat the hostages to be released if an agreement is reached, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many of the hostages kidnapped to Gaza during the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 are likely to be in very poor physical and mental health.

The goal is to bring back all 98 hostages, said an Israeli government official – although it is unclear how many of them are still alive. Among those abducted are people with dual citizenship, including Germans.

The government representative said the desired ceasefire would initially be limited to around 42 days. The release of the hostages would probably take weeks. In a first phase, 33 “humanitarian cases” were to be released. The informant explained that it was about women, children, people over 50 as well as the injured and sick. It is assumed that most of them are alive.

Government representative gives details of the deal

Both sides agreed that Hamas would release three hostages on the first day, the British broadcaster BBC reported, citing a Palestinian official in Doha. Israel’s army would then begin withdrawing its troops from the inhabited areas of Gaza. Seven days later, Hamas would release four more hostages. Israel, in turn, would allow those displaced in the south of the Gaza Strip to return to the north, but only on foot via the coastal road, it said.

Israel has also agreed to release around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including around 190 who have served sentences of 15 years or more, the BBC reported. Even after the ceasefire begins, Israeli soldiers will remain in a buffer zone on the edge of the Gaza Strip and other areas to ensure the security of Israeli border towns, the Israeli government official said.

Negotiations on the second phase are scheduled to begin on the 16th day of implementation. In this phase, the remaining hostages are to be released and Israel’s troops are to be withdrawn before the war is to be finally ended in the third and final phase of the agreement. The Israeli government representative emphasized that they would not leave Gaza until all the hostages were home.

The war was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, which left more than 1,000 dead. Since then, according to Palestinian figures, more than 46,600 people have been killed and more than 110,000 injured in the sealed-off Gaza Strip. The unverifiable numbers do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.