Between 13 and 14 January, negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip advanced rapidly: Qatar, which together with other countries is mediating the talks between representatives of Hamas and those of the Israeli government, said that they had reached to the most advanced stage ever reached since the war began in October 2023. A spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the parties were now analyzing “the final details” of the proposal.
So far neither Hamas nor Israel have confirmed that an agreement has been reached, but neither have they denied reports that this is imminent.
According to two people involved in the negotiations, heard by theAssociated Press but remained anonymous, Hamas has already accepted a ceasefire proposal which includes, among other things, the release of hostages in the Strip and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops. To become effective, the proposal must also be approved by the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is still evaluating it. On Tuesday, the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his extremist positions hostile to the Palestinian population, he threatened to withdraw their support for the government if the agreement was approved.
Associated Press obtained a copy of the agreement, which is divided into three phases and follows a proposal supported last May by US President Joe Biden. Although it is reliable, the text is not final and some details may change before eventual approval.
The first phase of the ceasefire is expected to last 42 days, during which Hamas is expected to release 33 live hostages, mainly including women, children, elderly people and injured civilians. Israel should in turn free dozens of Palestinian prisoners and withdraw its troops from the most populated areas of the Strip. It should also allow Palestinian civilians to return to the northern Strip, which has been happening for months is systematically preventing. Finally, it should allow an increase in deliveries of humanitarian aid, with up to 600 trucks a day able to enter the Strip to deliver essential goods.
In this phase of the ceasefire, Israeli troops will be able to continue to occupy the Philadelphia corridoron the southern border of the Strip (near Egypt). However, they will have to withdraw from the Netzarim corridor, which is located south of the city of Gaza and crosses the Strip from west to east.
The details of the phases following the first have not yet been negotiated and no precise timing has been defined. The agreement, however, gives several indications on what should happen: in the second phase Hamas should release all the other hostages in exchange for other Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, and Israel should complete the withdrawal of all its troops from the Strip.
Finally, in the third phase Hamas should hand over the bodies of the hostages who died during captivity and begin the implementation of a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza (yet to be defined).
The agreement was negotiated by mediators from various countries, including Qatar (where the meetings are taking place in recent days) and the United States. Steve Witkoff, the envoy for the Middle East chosen by President-elect Donald Trump, also participated in the most recent meetings.
The war in the Gaza Strip has been going on for over a year: tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli bombings and attacks, and much of the homes and infrastructure in the Strip have been destroyed. Negotiations for a ceasefire have been going on for months, but so far they have always ended in nothing.
