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(Reuters) – Here are the main points of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that came into force on Sunday after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and set the Middle East on fire.
The start of the ceasefire was delayed for about three hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Hamas to provide a list of hostages who were to be released during the day. An Israeli official later said that Israel had received the list.
Details of the agreement have not been made public by the mediators, Israel or Hamas. Officials have provided the following information about the deal:
* The first phase of the six-week ceasefire includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
* The agreement calls for 600 humanitarian aid trucks to be allowed into Gaza each day of the ceasefire, 50 of them carrying fuel, with 300 trucks allocated to the north, where conditions are difficult for civilians which is very difficult.
* Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children and men over the age of 50. Hamas will release female and under 19 hostages first, followed by men over 50. The Red Cross on Sunday after 1400 GMT, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said.
* Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for every civilian prisoner and 50 Palestinian prisoners for every female Israeli Hamas soldier.
* Under the agreement, Hamas will inform the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where the meeting point will be located inside Gaza and the ICRC is expected to begin driving to the area to collect the hostages .
* Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under the age of 19 arrested since Oct. 7. 2023 at the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on the released captives, and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian prisoners including men, women and children.
* Hamas will release hostages within six weeks, at least three hostages are released each week and the remaining 33 before the end of the period. All living captives will be released first, followed by the remains of dead captives.
* The implementation of the agreement will be confirmed by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
* Negotiations on the second phase of the agreement will begin on the 16th day of the first phase and are expected to include the release of all remaining prisoners, including male Israeli soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.
* The third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining bodies and the start of the reconstruction of Gaza, led by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
