Gaza ceasefire: How the much-anticipated deal may unfold

Pause in fighting set to take effect on Sunday, pending approval by Israel’s cabinet

Palestinians celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel in Deir Al Balah. AP

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman addresses a press conference at the Diwan Annex in Doha. AFP

Palestinians watch TV as they await the imminent announcement of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis. AP

Family members of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their supporters react to ceasefire reports in Tel Aviv. EPA

Tunisians wave Palestinian flags as they react to news of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, in Tunis. EPA

People pass by the Fox News ticker as it announces the Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal at the News Corp and WSJ headquarters in New York. Reuters

President Joe Biden addresses the ceasefire deal as Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken look on, in Washington DC. EPA

Palestinian supporters celebrate news of a ceasefire with Israel, in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

After 15 months of war that has destroyed most of Gaza and displaced 90 per cent of its 2.3 million people, Israel and Hamas have agreed to phase one of a ceasefire deal and hostage release plan.

The much-anticipated agreement is scheduled to take effect on Sunday, subject to the approval of the Israeli cabinet.

The three-phase deal promises the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian detainees in Israel. It will allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans to return to what remains of their homes and will also flood the territory with desperately needed humanitarian aid, mediators said.

The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, brokered months of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas that finally culminated in a deal.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said the success of the ceasefire would depend on the two sides “acting in good faith”. He spoke in the Qatari capital of Doha, the site of painstaking negotiations.

Complicating the picture, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Wednesday that the agreement was still not complete and final details were being worked out.

Early on Thursday, his office followed up with a statement accusing Hamas of backtracking on an understanding that would have given Israel a veto over which detainees accused of murder are to be released. Mr Netanyahu said he told Israeli negotiators to stand firm on the earlier agreement, adding that the Israeli cabinet would not meet to discuss the deal until "mediators announce that Hamas has approved all the details".

Hamas senior official Ezzat Al Rashq said the group was committed to the deal.

A banner celebrating the Gaza ceasefire announcement, in the west coast Canadian city of Vancouver. AP

Of about 240 people abducted by Hamas-led militants, nearly 100 remain in Gaza, although Israel’s military believes at least a third are dead.

The first phase of the ceasefire deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt in the fighting, along with the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.

Over those six weeks, 33 hostages – mostly women, children, older adults and the wounded – will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children detained by Israel. Remaining male captives will be freed in the second phase.

It remains unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians will be able to return to their homes. There will be a surge in humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, with hundreds of lorries allowed in each day.

On the 16th day of the deal's implementation, negotiations will begin regarding the next stage, which will include the release of the remaining hostages. Israel will then withdraw its forces to a defensive belt that will serve as a buffer between Gaza and Israel.

The third stage of the deal will include returning the remains of dead hostages and a focus on the reconstruction of Gaza, supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the UN. Israel will be expected to fully withdraw from the territory.

The hostages were captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023 during an attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people, triggering the war. The assault sparked an Israeli response that has killed more than 46,700 people and injured over twice that number, according to Gaza health authorities. Swathes of built-up areas in Gaza have been reduced to rubble, while dozens of Palestinians are still being killed daily.

It is unclear whether the ceasefire deal will bring a permanent end to the war. A key aim of Israel was to destroy the military and governing capacity of Hamas. The militant group has been severely weakened but is still able to operate and regroup.

It is also unknown how many of the hostages are alive, and if Hamas even knows where they all are. Deals between Israel and Hamas to stop wars in the past have broken down, indicating this agreement could be equally fragile.