Israel and Hamas close to reaching ceasefire agreement in Gaza?

According to a copy of the draft obtained by the AP, the deal would be in three phases, based on a framework put forward by US President Joe Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council. Phase 1, lasting six weeks, would include the release of 33 hostages in Gaza, mostly women, children, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Among the 33 would be five female Israeli soldiers, each of whom would be released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 serving life sentences. During this 42-day phase, the Israeli army would withdraw from population centers, Palestinians could begin to return to northern Gaza and there would be a humanitarian aid delivery, with about 600 trucks delivering supplies each day.

Rumors spread that Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and released hostages in Gaza

The details of phase two will be negotiated during phase one. Those details remain difficult to work out, and the agreement does not include written guarantees that the ceasefire will continue. This means Israel could continue its military campaign after phase one ends. An Israeli official said Israel would retain some “assets” during the negotiations, referring to its military presence, and would not leave Gaza until all hostages were released. In phase three, the bodies of the remaining hostages would be returned in exchange for a three- to five-year plan to rebuild Gaza under international supervision.

Israeli Black Hawk helicopters in the northern Gaza Strip on January 14.

Israel believes there are still about 100 hostages being held in Gaza, where it has been waging a military campaign since October 2023 that has killed more than 46,000 people, in response to a previous Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel.

According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli army continued to attack across Gaza on January 15, killing at least 24 people. Israel did not immediately comment on this information.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/israel-va-hamas-sap-dat-thoa-thuan-ngung-ban-o-gaza-185250115222408134.htm