A Gaza ceasefire has been agreed by Israel and Hamas, a news source told the BBC.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and de-escalation agreement in Gaza following talks with Qatar’s prime minister, a source of the talks told the BBC.
There was no confirmation from either the Israeli government or Hamas, but a Hamas official told the BBC it had approved a draft previously submitted to it by Qatari, American and Egyptian mediators.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who participated in the discussion, wrote on social media that “we have a deal for hostages in the Middle East.”
The details of the three-phase plan have not been made public, but reports say that 33 of the hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails within the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
The second round of negotiations – for the release of the remaining hostages, the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army and “lasting stability” – will begin in two weeks.
The third and final phase involves rebuilding Gaza – something that could take years – and the return of the remaining hostages.
On October 7, 2023, the group launched an unprecedented campaign against Hamas in southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages for Israeli soldiers.
Since then, more than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. 2.3 million people have been displaced, most of them have been displaced from their villages, there is massive destruction, and in the fight to help the needy, there is a huge shortage of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.
Israel said that 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, and 34 of them are said to be dead. In addition, four Israelis were kidnapped before the war, two of whom died.
