The Israel-Hamas ceasefire draft aims for a 42-day halt in fighting, with hostages and prisoners exchanged, but challenges remain ahead.
Gaza: So, there’s this draft ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that could pause fighting for 42 days. If it goes through, dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released. During this time, Israeli troops would pull back, and many Palestinians could return to their homes, even if they’re mostly wrecked.
But here’s the kicker: will this ceasefire actually hold? That’s the big question. After the first phase, more talks are set to start, and they’ll have to figure out how Gaza will be run. Israel wants Hamas gone, which complicates things.
If they can’t strike a deal in those 42 days, Israel might just go back to its military campaign, even with hostages still in the mix. Hamas has agreed to the draft, but Israeli officials are still hammering out the details, so things could change or even fall apart.
In the first phase, Hamas is supposed to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. They’re aiming to free all living women, kids, and older folks held by them. But there are still about 100 hostages in Gaza, and it’s believed a third of them might already be dead.
On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas will let go of three hostages, then four more on the seventh day, and after that, they’ll do weekly releases. The catch is figuring out which hostages and how many Palestinians will be freed. The deal says the 33 will mostly be civilians, but it also includes female soldiers.
For every living civilian hostage released, Israel will free 30 Palestinian women, kids, or elderly. If they get bodies back, they’ll release all women and children detained since the war kicked off on October 7, 2023. But a lot of men, including soldiers, will still be stuck in Gaza until the next phase.
Now, about the Israeli troops: they’re supposed to pull back to a buffer zone about a kilometer wide along the Gaza border. This would let displaced Palestinians head back home, but many are worried because their homes are mostly destroyed. Plus, Israel wants to control who goes back to make sure Hamas doesn’t bring weapons back into the area.
During the first week, Israeli troops are set to leave the main north-south road, which would help Palestinians return. But there’s still some back-and-forth about how much control Israel will keep over the area. They want to inspect anyone coming back, which could lead to more tension.
As for humanitarian aid, they plan to ramp it up to hundreds of trucks a day, which is way more than what’s been allowed during the fighting. The need is huge, with many people suffering from malnutrition and diseases. The draft deal says they’ll allow in equipment to help rebuild homes and infrastructure, but there are still concerns about how that will be managed.
Looking ahead, if everything goes smoothly, they’ll start talking about the second phase on Day 16 of the ceasefire. This phase is supposed to involve releasing all remaining hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. But that’s where it gets tricky. Israel won’t pull out until Hamas is completely disarmed, and Hamas won’t release the last hostages until Israel leaves.
So, they’ve got a lot to figure out. There’s pressure on both sides to reach an agreement, but if they can’t, things could get messy. Hamas wanted guarantees for a longer ceasefire, but they settled for verbal promises from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. Meanwhile, Israel hasn’t given any solid assurances, which could lead to more military action.
In the end, if they can work it out, the third phase might be easier. They’d exchange the bodies of remaining hostages for a reconstruction plan for Gaza, supervised by international bodies. Fingers crossed they can make it work!
