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How will the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal work?
Here are the main elements of the Gaza ceasefire deal, as outlined by my colleague Bethan McKernan. You can read her explainer about the agreement and whether or not it is likely to lead to a permanent ceasefire here.
What’s in the deal?
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All fighting is to pause during the first 42-day phase. Israeli forces are to withdraw from Gaza’s cities to a “buffer zone” along the edge of the strip, displaced Palestinians will be able to return home and there will be a marked increase in aid deliveries.
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In the second stage, of unclear duration, the remaining living hostages will be returned and a corresponding ratio of Palestinian prisoners freed, alongside a complete Israeli withdrawal from the strip. The Rafah crossing to Egypt will be opened for the sick and wounded to leave. It is unclear whether it will be returned to Palestinian control.
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The third phase, which could last years, would address the exchange of bodies of deceased hostages and Hamas members, and a reconstruction plan for Gaza. Much of the international community has advocated for the semi-autonomous West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007, to return to the strip. Israel, however, has repeatedly rejected the suggestion.
How will stage one work?
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A total of 33 hostages will be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for about 1,700 Palestinians held in Israel prisons, about 1,000 of whom are from Gaza and were arrested after 7 October 2023 under emergency legislation which allowed detention without charge or trial.
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Three female captives – named by Hamas as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari – were freed first in exchange for about 90 Palestinians. A handful of Israelis will then be released every Saturday for the next six weeks; the number of Palestinians to be freed upon their return generally depends on whether the Israelis are civilians or soldiers. Some of the freed Palestinians from the West Bank sentenced for serious crimes against Israelis will be sent to third countries rather than be allowed to return home.
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In Gaza, people displaced from their homes will be allowed to move freely around the Palestinian territory from day seven, and 600 trucks of aid will arrive each day to alleviate the strip’s dire humanitarian conditions.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said the Middle East is undergoing a “profound transformation” and has urged all countries to ensure the region emerges from the turbulence with peace and “a horizon of hope grounded in action.”
Speaking at a meeting of the UN security council on Monday, he said that “a new dawn is rising in Lebanon,” which he just visited. He said it was vital that Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army deploy there as required in the ceasefire agreement.
In Gaza, he urged Israel and Hamas to ensure that their newly agreed deal leads to a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages taken during the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
Guterres said the ceasefire must allow scaled-up aid deliveries, Palestinians’ access to aid, and protection of civilians. He stressed that the agreement must also allow Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, access to deliver aid to the devastated territory.
Israel’s government is still committed to its plan to ban Unrwa from operating and to cut all ties between the agency and the Israeli government. It has accused the UN agency of allowing Hamas militants to infiltrate its staff, an allegation the agency denies. Unrwa is the major distributor of aid in Gaza and provides education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Displaced Palestinians return to destroyed homes as desperately needed aid is delivered to Gaza
We are restarting our live coverage of the major developments in Israel’s war on Gaza after a long-awaited ceasefire came into effect on Sunday.
With the ceasefire agreement appearing to be holding, Palestinians are returning to find their homes reduced to rubble after 15 months of intense Israeli bombardments across the strip.
Displaced by Israeli airstrikes, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people have been packed into crowded refugee camps along the coast, enduring cold winter weather amid widespread malnutrition.
Charities have struggled to deliver aid, accusing Israel of blocking their attempts to. It means there are major shortages of food, blankets, warm clothing and firewood.
But international aid organisations have expressed cautious hope that the truce deal will allow them to rapidly scale up humanitarian support and reach those most in need.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, people displaced from their homes in Gaza will be allowed to move freely around the Palestinian territory from day seven, and 600 trucks of aid will arrive each day to alleviate the strip’s dire humanitarian conditions. We are on day three of the ceasefire agreement. The next hostage swap is expected to take place on Saturday.
Supplies to Gaza were, as of Sunday, at an average of 18 truckloads a day; aid agencies say 500 a day is needed at a minimum. Yesterday, the number of aid trucks – carrying essential items alongside water and medication – into Gaza was around 915, according to reports. At least 1,545 aid lorries have crossed into Gaza since the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel took place over the weekend, according to the UN.
A 60-day World Health Organization plan includes repairing Gaza’s hospitals – none of which are fully functional anymore – setting up temporary clinics in the most devastated areas (likely in the northern part of the territory), tackling malnutrition and stemming disease outbreaks.
We will give you the latest developments on the relief efforts and other news coming out of Gaza throughout the day.
