Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figure
Photo: Reuters
Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East.
The accord, which was announced by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar late on Wednesday evening, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the official told Reuters.
If successful, the planned phased ceasefire could halt fighting that has left much of Gaza in ruins, displaced most of the enclave's pre-war population of 2.3 million, and killed tens of thousands of people. The toll is still rising daily.
The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States, and comes just ahead of the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
While details have not yet been publicly announced by the mediators, Israel or Hamas, here's what we know so far about the phases in which the agreement will be held.
Phase 1
Phase one of the agreement entails the release of 33 Israeli hostages including all women, children and men over 50.
Israel will gradually reduce forces in the Philadelphi corridor bordering Egypt during phase 1 of the Gaza ceasefire deal with forces completing their withdrawal no later than day 50, a copy of the deal seen by Reuters.
The corridor was a stumbling block in past efforts to secure a ceasefire deal, with Egypt, a mediator along with Qatar and the US between Israel and Hamas, demanding Israel pulls out after seizing it in May.
Phase 2
Negotiations on implementing the second phase will begin by the 16th day of phase one and it is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Phase 3
The third phase is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza's reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
Even if the warring sides implement the current deal, it will still require further negotiation before there is a lasting ceasefire and the release of all the hostages.
If all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel still must agree on a vision for post-war Gaza, a formidable challenge involving security guarantees for Israel and billions of dollars in investment for rebuilding.
One unanswered question is who will run Gaza after the war.
Israel has rejected any involvement by Hamas, which had ruled Gaza since 2007, but it has been almost equally opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority, the body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that has limited governing power in the West Bank.
The United Nations warned in October that removing 42 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel's bombardment could take years and cost $1.2 billion. A UN estimate from April 2024 suggested it would take 14 years to clear the rubble.
The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material. The rubble also likely holds human remains. The Palestinian Ministry of Health estimated in May that 10,000 bodies were missing under the debris.
Two-thirds of Gaza's pre-war structures — over 170,000 buildings — have been damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data (UNOSAT) in December. That amounts to around 69 per cent of the total structures of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting a visit to Europe short and flying home overnight to take part in security cabinet and government votes on the deal - meaning the votes would likely be by or on Thursday.
In Israel, the return of the hostages may ease some of the public anger against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government over the October 7 security failure that led to the deadliest single day in the country's history.
US President-elect Donald Trump hailed a hostage release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, agreed just five days before he returns to power.
"We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!" Trump said on his Truth Social network, before there was any official announcement from outgoing President Joe Biden's White House.
Trump had warned Hamas of "hell to pay" if it did not free the remaining captives before he took office, and envoys from both his incoming administration and President Joe Biden's outgoing one had been present at the latest negotiations.
Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli border-area communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.
Israel's air and ground war in Gaza has since killed over 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the coastal enclave a wasteland of rubble with hundreds of thousands of displaced people struggling through the winter cold in tents and makeshift shelters.
Gaza's conflict spilled over across the Middle East, with Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen targeting Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
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