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Hamas has reportedly accepted a draft ceasefire agreement with Israel that would include the release of dozens of hostages, according to The Associated Press, which cited “officials involved in the talks.” This possible agreement is the first sign in months that the war between Israel and Hamas, which has raged for more than a year, could be coming to an end.
The possible agreement It will reportedly be carried out in three phases, the first of which would begin a 42-day ceasefire. During that time, 33 hostages, including children, women, female soldiers, men over 50 years of age, and humanitarian cases, would be released. In exchange, Hamas would receive hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile detainees. According to an Israeli government official, “most” of the 33 hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023 are still alive.
Addressing the exchange of hostages for prisoners, the Israeli government official noted that there is a “price” for getting the terrorist group to release captives. The source promised, however, that Israel “will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages have returned home.”
People inspect rubble and rubble at the site of the Israeli bombing of a residential block on Jalaa Street in Gaza City on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.
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As part of the first phase of the deal, Israel would begin to withdraw from parts of northern Gaza, allowing Palestinians to return to their homes. However, security experts warn that this could allow Hamas to rebuild.
Furthermore, during the first phase of the agreement, humanitarian aid would be delivered to the gaza strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with IDF commanders in the Netzarim corridor in Gaza to discuss Hamas activity on November 19, 2024. (Photo provided by TPS)
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Details of the second phase are expected to be negotiated during the first. However, a draft agreement cited by the AP indicates that during this phase, Hamas will release the remaining live hostages in exchange for a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza. An Egyptian official reportedly told the AP that before the end of the first phase, there will be agreements for phases two and three.
“This is the only time since November 2023 that we are actually negotiating with Hamas, and they are not playing games in the negotiations,” an Israeli government official told FOX News.
The official cited multiple facts, such as the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. and internal pressure against the terrorist group, as crucial turning points to create the right “conditions” for an agreement.
Israeli soldiers remove the bodies of civilians who died days earlier in an attack by Palestinian terrorists at this kibbutz near the Gaza border, on October 10, 2023 in Kfar Aza, Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Qatari and Israeli officials who spoke to FOX News expressed optimism about the potential deal that could end the war.
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Thousands of people have been killed in the 15-month war, which began after brutal Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
