What are the key elements of the Gaza ceasefire deal?

The sides reached a compromise on Wednesday for a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict, an official close to negotiations told Reuters, after 15 months of fighting that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and erupted in the Middle East. 

This was not yet announced in full by the mediators, Israel or Hamas. 

Here are the major elements of the ceasefire agreement, as per the official who was briefed on the accord: 

• A six-week first ceasefire period will see Israeli troops withdrawing slowly from central Gaza and refugees returning to northern Gaza. 

• The contract calls for 600 trucks of humanitarian aid to be admitted into Gaza during the ceasefire day, 50 with fuel, 300 of which are to be sent north. 

• Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages: all women (soldiers and civilians), children and men over 50. The first women and kids aged under 19 will be released by Hamas, followed by men over 50. 

• Israel will let go 30 Palestinian prisoners for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian prisoners per Israeli female soldier Hamas lets go. 

• Israel will be the final release of all Palestinian women and children under 19 held since Oct. 7, 2023, by the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians who are released will depend on the number of hostages liberated and might range from 990 to 1,650 Palestinian prisoners, men, women and children. 

• Hamas will drop the hostages over a six-week period with three at least each week, and all 33 before the end of the six-week period. We’ll free all live hostages first, and the corpses of dead ones after. 

• Qatar, Egypt and the US will guarantee the implementation of the agreement. 

• A second aspect of the agreement that should have been reached by the 16th day of phase one would see the release of all hostages – including Israeli male troops – an irrevocable ceasefire and the total withdrawal of Israeli forces. 

• A third stage would see the exhumation of all the bodies and the start of reconstruction of Gaza under Egypt, Qatar and the UN. 

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