The Israeli government is finalizing a historic ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, marking the first significant step in the war since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks. The deal, approved by Israel's Security Cabinet, will enter into force on Sunday, and the first three hostages will be released. The agreement came after weeks of intensive negotiations brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the role of US President Biden and President-elect Trump in progressing negotiations. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Biden for his dedication and praised Trump's insistence that Gaza should never again become a “haven for terrorism.”
Trump claimed in a podcast interview that his involvement accelerated the process: “We turned the tide, and we turned it quickly.”
Under the agreement, Hamas plans to release 33 hostages in the first phase, including women, children, elderly men, and individuals with critical medical needs. Among them are 24-year-old Rumi Gonen, who was abducted from the Nova Music Festival, and Siri Vivas, who was with her two young sons Ariel and baby Kfir. Families are being notified of the initial release and details of subsequent steps will be shared 24 hours prior to implementation.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire, hostage release agreement reached: “America will join in''
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet discuss hostages in the ceasefire agreement at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem. January 17, 2025. (Courtesy of GPO)
Of the three Americans believed to be alive in Gaza, the first phase includes only two: Keith Siegel and Sagi Dekerchen. Sagui's wife gave birth to their third child while Sagui was incarcerated. Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander is not on the list.
Richard Goldberg, a senior FDD adviser and former Trump NSC official, told Fox News last week that removing Alexander from the initial list “would be a huge strategic mistake.”
In return, Israel plans to release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners, including minors, women, and individuals with health problems. Among the high-profile prisoners are Nawal Abd Fattah, a 24-year-old who was convicted of trying to stab an Israeli man in 2020, and Nawal Abd Fattah, a 15-year-old who was involved in a mass shooting in Jerusalem in 2023. Includes Ibrahim Zumar. Those convicted of leading major terrorist attacks remain excluded from the agreement.
A man runs in front of a sign with portraits of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas terrorists in Jerusalem, January 15, 2025. (Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images)
The agreement stipulates that released prisoners cannot be arrested again on the same charges and do not have to sign an oath upon release. Each female and child hostage is equivalent to the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners, and the release of soldiers includes 30 prisoners with life sentences and 20 with long-term sentences.
Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas approaches amid fears of terrorist group rearming in Gaza
The agreement will also facilitate humanitarian relief, allowing 600 supply trucks to enter Gaza each day. By the 22nd, evacuated Gazans will be allowed to return to the northern region, but security checks will be limited to vehicles under Qatari-Egyptian supervision. Israeli forces will reduce their presence in certain areas while maintaining control of key routes.
The release schedule begins with three hostages on the first day, followed by four hostages on the seventh day. Over the next five weeks, groups of three hostages will be released each week until the 35th. Twelve more hostages are scheduled to be released between the 35th and 42nd, including Abela Mengistu, who has been held captive in Gaza for 10 years, and Hisham al-Sayed, a mentally disabled man who entered Gaza. This includes long-term prisoners of war. owns and has been held there since before October 7th.
This image from undated body camera video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by the Israel Defense Forces shows a Hamas terrorist roaming through a residential area at an undisclosed location in southern Israel. . The Israeli military gathered a group of foreign correspondents on October 16, 2023, and screened a 40-minute reel of gruesome footage compiled from the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. (Israel Defense Forces, via AP)
The second phase of negotiations will begin on the 16th after the first phase, and will focus on the release of young men and soldiers and the return of their bodies. This phase begins on the 43rd day, with discussions about remaining prisoners of war, and lasts for 42 days.
“Once the second phase begins, surviving hostages, including male soldiers, will be exchanged, all remaining Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza, and the temporary ceasefire will become permanent,” President Biden said at a press conference on Wednesday. It will become something.” He also said the third phase would include the return of the remains of hostages killed in captivity and the start of a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized at the cabinet meeting that one point had become clear during his meetings with President Biden and President-elect Trump. That is, if negotiations on the second phase of the agreement fail, Israel will resume military operations. operation.
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IDF forces operating in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. (IDF Press Secretary's Office)
For the families of the hostages, the agreement is both hopeful and heartbreaking. Ronen and Orna Neutra, whose American-Israeli son Omer was killed by Hamas and whose body remains in Gaza, called the agreement bittersweet.
“It's a difficult time. On the one hand, we're happy and excited for the families who are hoping to see their loved ones for the first time in a while,” Orna Neutra told Fox News.
“We sincerely hope that this new administration will do everything in its power to make the deal a reality and that the various political parties in the region will do everything in their power to implement the deal. We believe that President Trump I believe that's important to him and I'm sure it will happen.”
