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Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to end the war in Gaza and release hostages after meetings with Qatar’s prime minister, a source briefed on the talks told the BBC.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said there were “several unresolved issues” but hoped the deal would be finalized by Wednesday night. A senior Hamas official previously said he had accepted the document from mediators in Doha.
US President-elect Donald Trump also tweeted: “We have an alliance with hostages in the Middle East.”
The three-part plan has not been published, but 33 of those captured by Hamas are said to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons within the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the release of the remaining hostages, the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army and a “sustainable peace” – will begin in two weeks.
The third and final phase will involve the reconstruction of Gaza – which could take years – and the return of the remaining bodies of the captives.
Once the deal is announced by Qatar or the US, it will still have several hurdles to overcome before the war ends and the first hostages are released.
It must be voted on for the first time in the Israeli cabinet, possibly as soon as Thursday. This is expected to pass, but the right-wing national security minister has said he will vote against it.
Then the names of all Palestinian prisoners to be released will be announced by the Israeli government, and the victims’ families will be given 48 hours to appeal.
The Israeli army launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s actions in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were captured.
More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry. Many of the 2.3 million people have also been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter as a result of efforts to get aid to those in need.
Israel says 94 of those captured are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are believed to have died. In addition, there are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom died.
