Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still not complete and the final details are being worked out.
Netanyahu’s statement comes hours after the United States and Qatar announced the deal, which would pause the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clear the way for dozens of hostages to go home. The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
LIVE: Qatar PM confirms Israel-Hamas reach Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal
Large crowds of joyful Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza when the agreement was announced, cheering and honking car horns.
“No one can feel the feeling that we are experiencing now, an indescribable, indescribable feeling,” said Mahmoud Wadi in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah before joining a chanting crowd.
The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.
Netanyahu has not said explicitly whether he accepts the deal announced hours earlier by Qatar’s prime minister and President Joe Biden.
In a statement, Netanyahu said he would only issue a formal response “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.” What does the ceasefire and hostage agreement say? Here are the basics of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal that mediators say has been reached. Any deal still needs the approval of Israel’s Cabinet. There are three phases.
Phase one starts Sunday, according to mediator Qatar. It should include a six-week halt to fighting and the opening of negotiations on ending the war. Thirty-three of the nearly 100 hostages should be released over the period, although it’s not clear if all are alive. They include women, older adults and wounded people.
Mediator the United States says this first phase also includes a withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza. That will allow many displaced Palestinians to return to their communities. Humanitarian assistance would surge, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza each day. Final details still being worked out include the list of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be freed.
Phase two is harder
Negotiations for this phase are to begin on Day 16 of the ceasefire. The phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers. Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. But Israel has said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal until Hamas’ military and political capabilities are eliminated. And Hamas says it will not hand over the last hostages until Israel removes all troops.
Phase three calls for the return of the bodies of remaining hostages and the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which is largely devastated and faces decades of rebuilding.
Published – January 16, 2025 05:09 am IST
