Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, according to two officials involved in talks in Doha on Tuesday afternoon. An Israeli official stated that progress has been made, but the details are still being finalised.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposed agreement, with an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirming its authenticity. The draft will need to be submitted to Israel’s cabinet for final approval.
All three officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
Details of the agreement held by the Associated Press
According to the draft agreement under negotiation between Israel and Hamas, Israel will pay a significant price to secure the release of female soldiers held hostage.
The three-phase agreement will begin with the gradual release of 33 hostages over six weeks, including women, children, elderly adults, and injured civilians, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.
Among the 33 hostages will be five women serving in the Israeli military, with each released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted security detainees serving life sentences.
During this initial 42-day phase, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza’s population centres, Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza, and there will be a surge in humanitarian aid, with approximately 600 trucks entering daily.
“We are close to an agreement,” says Qatar
The negotiations in Doha for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are in their “final stage,” according to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is mediating the talks.
“We believe we are in the final stages… we certainly hope this will very soon lead to an agreement,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari at a press conference. However, he cautioned against excessive optimism, noting that most obstacles have been resolved.
“Over the past months, there were underlying issues, major points of contention between the two sides that were unresolved. These issues were addressed during talks in the last two weeks, and as a result, we’ve reached a stage where the major obstacles to achieving an agreement have been overcome,” he added.
Photo source: AP/Ariel Schalit
Also read: Palestine hopes ceasefire will “contribute to end of violence”
Source: AP news
