Israel and Hamas sign agreement on hostage release and ceasefire, media say
Pravda Ukraine
An agreement between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group regarding the release of hostages held in Gaza and the initiation of a ceasefire has been officially signed in Doha, Qatar, on 16 January.
Source: Axios with reference to two sources familiar with the matter
Details: The agreement was signed by representatives from Israel, Qatar and Hamas after several days of intense talks. Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden’s senior Middle East advisor, signed the agreement on behalf of the United States.
According to the sources of Axios, the Israeli government will vote on the ratification of the agreement no earlier than the evening of Saturday, 18 January.
Under the agreement, the first stage will see the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, men over the age of 50 and the wounded. In addition, over 700 Palestinian prisoners will be released, including 275 individuals accused of killing Israelis. Furthermore, 1,000 Palestinians detained during the war but not involved in the 7 October attacks will also be released.
Humanitarian aid will be delivered to the Gaza Strip, including 600 lorries of supplies, 50 petrol tank trucks, 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes for displaced persons.
The agreement stipulates that Qatar, Egypt and the United States will act as guarantors for its implementation.
Israel and Hamas will begin talks on the second stage of the agreement on the 16th day of the truce, which includes the release of the remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Quote: “While the deal continued to be negotiated in Doha, [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s ultranationalist coalition government partners — Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said they would vote against the deal.”
Details: Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security advisor, stated on Wednesday during a CNN broadcast that the new administration informed Netanyahu that if Hamas reneges on any part of the agreement, the US would support Israel.
Waltz also declared that the Trump administration would ensure the demilitarisation of Gaza and the destruction of Hamas.
Background:
- On the morning of 16 January, the Israeli prime minister’s office reported that the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas had refused to support a number of ceasefire agreements in the Gaza Strip, thereby disrupting the hostage release process.
- On 15 January, US President Joe Biden confirmed that a ceasefire and hostage release agreement had been reached between Hamas terrorists and Israel.
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