Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal takes effect as families await hostage release
long awaited ceasefire between israel and hamas After a last-minute delay of nearly three hours, it officially began. The fighting continued past an initial deadline of 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET) after the Israeli military said Hamas failed to provide the names of the first three hostages that should be released under the terms of the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later confirmed that the list had been provided and that the ceasefire would go into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET).
Now, Israeli families are awaiting the release of hostages held by Hamas for more than 15 months. Trading is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Eastern Time and 4 p.m. local time on Sunday.
In Gaza, fighter jets and drones reportedly disappeared from the skies and aid trucks began entering Gaza through the Kareem Shalom crossing as the deal came into effect.
The first phase of the ceasefire requires Hamas to release 33 hostages within six weeks. A draft seen by CBS News said that would include women, children and hostages over 50 years old.
Daoud Abu Alqas/Reuters
The plan said the three hostages would be released on the first day. Four hostages will be released on the seventh day, and the remaining 26 will be released over the next five weeks.
pause It is the second in a 15-month war that came about under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden.
Biden and Qatar’s prime minister separately announced the deal on Wednesday after a week of intense negotiations brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt.
in a rare meeting During the Jewish Sabbath, Israel’s entire cabinet voted to approve the deal, which would begin by exchanging several hostages in Gaza for some Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The approval set off a flurry of activity and a new wave of emotion as relatives wondered whether the hostages would live or die.
How the hostage release will proceed
According to the negotiated agreement, the ceasefire will be carried out in three phases.
The first phase of the ceasefire will last 42 days, while negotiations for a more difficult second phase are expected to begin in two weeks.
Six weeks into the first phase, Israel’s security cabinet will decide how to proceed.
Hamas released a total of 33 hostages in the first phase. According to a draft seen by CBS News, Hamas will begin releasing hostages on day one, starting with the return of three hostages to Israel. On the seventh day, Hamas released four hostages. Since then, Hamas has released three hostages every seven days, first the living and then the bodies of the dead.
Expected releases include the youngest hostageKfir Bibas, whose family celebrated his second birthday on Saturday. The child has become a symbol of helplessness across Israel over the plight of the hostages.
During each exchange, Israel releases Palestinian prisoners upon the safe arrival of the hostages.
Biden said on Wednesday that Americans would be included in the first phase of release, but he did not specify any hostages or how soon they would be released.
In the first phase, Israel will release at least 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, including 1,167 Gaza residents who were not involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that triggered the war. At this stage, all Gazan women and children under the age of 19 held by Israel will be released.
The remaining hostages held by Hamas, including male Israeli soldiers, will be released in the second phase, following negotiations in the first phase. Hamas says it will not release the remaining prisoners without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
When does the fighting stop?
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli forces will withdraw into Gaza’s roughly one-kilometer (half-mile) wide buffer zone along the border with Israel.
In an article published on X, Qatar’s foreign minister advised Palestinians to remain cautious and wait for instructions from officials once the ceasefire comes into effect.
The Israeli military later said Palestinians would be unable to cross the Nezarim corridor across central Gaza during the first seven days of the ceasefire and warned Palestinians not to approach Israeli forces.
Despite the warnings and uncertainty, expectations are high.
“The first thing I had to do was go check my house,” Mohammed al-Mahdi, a father of two from Gaza City’s Zaitoun neighborhood, told The Associated Press. He also looks forward to meeting his family in southern Gaza but “remains concerned that one of us may be martyred before meeting”.
On October 7, 2023, a Hamas-led attack killed approximately 1,200 people and captured approximately 250 people. There are still nearly 100 hostages in Gaza.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza. The department did not distinguish between civilians and militants but said more than half of the dead were women and children.
