A hostage and ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the deal will unfold in three phases. The first phase will include the release of 33 hostages — some of whom may be dead — and the Israeli Defense Forces withdrawing to an undefined security perimeter. Israel will reportedly release “many hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners, including terrorists who have killed Israelis.
Humanitarian aid will be increased and Palestinian civilians are also expected to be allowed to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip with “security arrangements” in place, reported CNN.
The Israeli cabinet will meet Thursday morning to approve the deal. The first phase is expected to last 42 days, with negotiations for the subsequent stages set to begin on the 16th day.
The IDF has christened the hostage return operation “Wings of Freedom.”
The 33 released hostages are expected to be women, children, wounded people, and men over 50. Five female Israeli soldiers are expected to be released, each of whom will be exchanged for 50 Palestinians, 30 of whom are serving life sentences, according to the Associated Press. Palestinian prisoners will reportedly be released abroad or to the Gaza Strip instead of the West Bank.
During the final hours of the negotiations, Hamas made extra demands regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, reported The Jerusalem Post. The corridor has been seen as a strategic value to Israel by ensuring more weapons are not smuggled into Gaza from Egypt.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office noted that “Hamas folded on its last-minute demand to change the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor. However, several items in the framework have yet to be finalized; we hope that the details will be finalized tonight.”
Statement from Netanyahu’s office:
“Due to the strong insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas folded on its last-minute demand to change the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor. However, several items in the framework have yet to be finalized; we…
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) January 15, 2025
About half of the hostages in Gaza — a mix of Israelis, Americans, elderly, women, children, and soldiers — are believed to be alive. Seven American hostages are still in Gaza, including Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judi Weinstein Haggai, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel.
President Trump touted the deal on social media on Wednesday, writing that the hostages would “be released shortly.” Trump has aggressively pushed for Hamas to release the hostages, saying there would be “all hell to pay” if they did not do so before he returned to office.
