What we know about the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal
The Israeli government and Hamas have agreed to a deal that will pause fighting in Gaza and lead to the phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, sources tell CNN.
Under the deal, which has yet to be formally announced, Hamas and its allied militant groups are expected to release 33 hostages seized from Israel during the attacks of October 7, 2023.
In return, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
According to sources who spoke with CNN before the deal was agreed to, here are the broad outlines of the agreement:
• The first phase would take place over an initial 42-day ceasefire.
• The Israeli cabinet needs to approve the agreement with a simple majority vote. The Israeli Supreme Court will hear petitions from anyone who opposes the release of Palestinian prisoners.
• Israel believes that most of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal are alive.
• Five female Israeli soldiers are expected to be among those released, each of whom would be exchanged for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted militants who are serving life sentences, the Associated Press reported.
• Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released. Palestinian prisoners deemed responsible for killing Israelis would not be released into the West Bank, but rather to the Gaza Strip or abroad following agreements with foreign countries.
• The Israeli military would begin withdrawing from population centers during the first phase, but would remain along the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. Israel would also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border with Israel, the size of which has yet to be announced.
You can read more details in our full coverage below:
What we know about the emerging ceasefire and hostage release deal
The Israeli government and Hamas say they are in the final stages of indirect talks over a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The agreement is set to be implemented in three phases, the first of which would last 42 days.
The deal would deliver the first reprieve from the war for the people of Gaza in more than a year, and only the second since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks.
Here’s some key points to know:
• The first phase would see the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas and its allies since October 7, including women, children, men over the age of 50 and wounded people. Israel would release “many hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners in exchange, an Israeli official said, including Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis.
• Palestinian civilians in Gaza will be allowed to freely return to the north of the strip, an Israeli official told CNN, saying that there would be unspecific “security arrangements” in place.
• The Israeli military would begin withdrawing from population centers during the first phase, but would remain along the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, the official said. Israel would also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border with Israel.
• Negotiations to reach the second and third phases of a ceasefire agreement – which is intended to end the war – would start on the 16th day of the implementation of the deal, an Israeli official told CNN. The ceasefire is not guaranteed to continue beyond the first phase of the deal.
