Gaza ceasefire: What does the draft agreement say and how many hostages would be released?
Share:
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza. President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was "on the brink" and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire. It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials. Hostages to be returned. In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free. These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas. In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian "terrorists" from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said. Read more:A timeline of events since the 7 October attacksThe hostages who still haven't returned home.
