Israel and Hamas have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following meetings with Qatar’s prime minister, a source briefed on the talks has told the BBC.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said there were “several unresolved clauses” but it hoped an agreement could be finalised on Wednesday night. A Hamas official earlier said it had approved the draft from mediators in Doha.
US President-elect Donald Trump also wrote on social media: “We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East.”
The three-phase plan has not been published, but 33 of the hostages held by Hamas will reportedly be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails over the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a “sustainable calm” – would start after two weeks.
The third and final stage would involve the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years – and the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies.
Once the deal is announced by Qatar or the US, it will still have a few hurdles to navigate before the fighting is halted and the first hostages are freed.
It must first be put to a vote in the Israeli cabinet, possibly as soon as Thursday. It is expected to pass, but the far-right national security minister has said he will vote against it.
Then the names of all the Palestinian prisoners due for release will be made public by the Israeli government, and the families of any victims will be given 48 hours to appeal.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Most of the 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to a struggle to get aid to those in need.
Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.
