Israel and Hamas have agreed to stop hostilities in the Gaza Strip and to conduct a partial exchange of hostages.

This was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden.

He officially announced an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end hostilities in Gaza and to release hostages and Palestinian prisoners in stages.

“More than 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families, and the Israeli people. More than 15 months of suffering for the innocent people of Gaza. The fighting in Gaza will end. And soon the hostages will return home to their families,” Biden stated.

According to the BBC, an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages was reached at meetings between the Prime Minister of Qatar and representatives of Hamas and separately with representatives of Israel.

94 people are still being held hostage by Hamas. At the same time, Israel believes that 60 of them are still alive.

The Prime Minister of Qatar has also officially confirmed that the Israeli government and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

According to him, the mediators expect the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to enter into force on Sunday, January 19, 2025.

CNN, citing its own sources, confirms this information and cites the general points of the agreement. It is known that the first phase of the agreement should take place during the initial 42-day ceasefire.

Terms of the agreement

According to the agreement, Hamas and its affiliated militant groups are expected to release 33 hostages taken from Israel during the attacks on October 7, 2023. In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian prisoners deemed responsible for the murders of Israelis will not be released in the West Bank, but in the Gaza Strip or abroad in accordance with agreements with foreign states.

Five female soldiers are expected to be among those released, each of whom will be exchanged for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted militants serving life sentences, the Associated Press reports.

In the first phase, the Israeli military will begin withdrawing from populated areas, but will remain along the border between Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. This 14-kilometer-long, 100-meter-wide section of the demilitarized zone was established under the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

Israel will also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border with Israel, the size of which has not yet been announced.

“Over the next six weeks, Israel will negotiate the necessary agreements to reach the second phase, that is, the final end of the war. Let me say it again: A permanent end to the war,” Biden stated.

“There are a number of details that need to be discussed to move from phase one to phase two. But the plan says that if the negotiations last longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will last as long as the negotiations last,” he added.