Qatari mediators have sent a new draft ceasefire plan to the extremist group Hamas and the Israeli government to end the 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and exchange Israeli hostages for a large number of Palestinian prisoners. A week before the start of Donald Trump's presidency, U.S. officials also stated that negotiations in Doha have made significant progress and a final agreement may be reached soon. However, there has been no agreement on how to implement the new ceasefire plan, and all parties involved in the negotiations say that the final agreement is still not certain. Reuters, citing Israeli and Palestinian officials, has examined the main points of the new ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip. Hamas officials have not yet announced their views on the details of this plan. Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and the European Union. In the first step, 33 Israeli hostages, including children, the sick, and the injured, men over 50 years old, and women, including female soldiers, will be released. Israel believes that most of these individuals are alive, but has not yet received official confirmation from Hamas. The first step of implementing the ceasefire plan will take several weeks. Although Israeli officials stated that the duration of this phase is not yet precisely defined, Palestinian officials said this period would be about 60 days. If the first phase proceeds as planned, on the sixteenth day of the ceasefire's implementation, negotiations for the second phase will begin with the aim of ensuring the release of other Israeli hostages who are still alive, including all male hostages under 50 years old and all male soldiers, as well as the return of the bodies of hostages who have lost their lives. In exchange for the release of the hostages, Israel will free a significant number of Palestinian prisoners, including those sentenced to long prison terms for carrying out deadly attacks. However, the exact number of prisoners to be released will depend on the number of Israeli hostages who are still alive. Israeli officials have stated that 'several hundred' Palestinian prisoners will be released, but Palestinian officials say this number will exceed a thousand. It is still unclear where the released Palestinian prisoners will be sent, but it has been established that prisoners convicted of participating in deadly attacks or murder will not go to the West Bank. Those prisoners who participated in the attack on Israel on October 7 of last year will not be released. Until all hostages are freed, the Israeli army will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip, but a gradual withdrawal will begin from the initial stages of implementing the new ceasefire plan. However, the Israeli army will remain to defend the cities and villages of this country in the border areas surrounding the Gaza Strip. Specific agreements regarding security measures at the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) border crossing between the southern border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt have been anticipated, and a few days after the ceasefire begins, the Israeli army will withdraw from parts of this border area. Unarmed residents of the northern Gaza Strip will be allowed to return to this area, and measures to prevent the entry of weapons into this area have also been planned. The Israeli army will withdraw from the military corridor of Netzarim in the central Gaza Strip, which divides the strip into northern and southern parts. The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will gradually resume its activities, and injured and sick individuals, as well as other humanitarian cases, will be allowed to exit the Gaza Strip for treatment. Humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip will significantly increase. The United Nations and other international relief agencies have repeatedly warned in recent months that residents of Gaza are suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel will allow more aid to enter Gaza, but the parties involved in the negotiations disagree on the amount of humanitarian aid entering, how to transfer aid to those in need, and the issue of looting of foreign aid by local criminal gangs. It is still unclear which entity or organization will take over the internal administration of the Gaza Strip in the future. It seems that due to the complexity and political sensitivities of this issue and the possibility of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations failing, this topic has currently been set aside from discussions. Israel has stated that it will continue the war if Hamas remains in power. At the same time, it has also rejected handing over the internal administration of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. Furthermore, the Israeli government has emphasized since the beginning of the recent crisis that even after the end of military operations, it will maintain security control over the Gaza Strip. In contrast, the international community believes that the internal affairs of the Gaza Strip should be managed by the Palestinians, but efforts and consultations to find a suitable entity for this task, including civil society organizations or tribal leaders, have not yet yielded results. Meanwhile, negotiations are also underway between the U.S., Israel, and the United Arab Emirates to organize a temporary administrative body to manage the internal affairs of the Gaza Strip until reforms are made in the Palestinian Authority.
What are the main points of the new ceasefire plan for Gaza and the release of hostages?
Qatari mediators have proposed a new ceasefire plan to end the Gaza conflict and facilitate the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. While progress has been reported, the final agreement remains uncertain, with significant implications for regional stability and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Qatar mediates ceasefire plan between Hamas and Israel for hostages and prisoner exchange.
- Qatari mediators negotiate Hamas, Israeli government
- Israel release Palestinian prisoners
- Hamas release Israeli hostages
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The ceasefire plan represents a critical juncture in the ongoing conflict and regional dynamics.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%