Negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire are ongoing. Here are the main points of the draft contract

Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to end fighting in the Gaza Strip and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners as a first step towards ending the 15-month war.

A week before US President-elect Donald Trump takes over from President Joe Biden, officials said a a breakthrough has been achieved in the talks in Doha and an agreement could be close.

However, many details on the implementation of the ceasefire have yet to be agreed, and officials from all sides have said no deal has yet been reached.

Here are the main points from the draft, according to an Israeli and Palestinian official. Hamas did not provide any details.

Gradual return of hostages

In the first phase, 33 hostages would be released. These include children, women including female soldiers, men over 50, the wounded and the sick. Israel believes most are alive, but has no official confirmation from Hamas.

• The first phase would last several weeks, although an Israeli official said the exact duration had not been determined. A Palestinian official said it would last 60 days.
• If things go according to plan, on the 16th day after the deal comes into force, negotiations would begin in the second phase, with the aim of securing the return of the remaining living hostages — male soldiers and younger male civilians — and the return of the bodies of the dead hostages.
• In exchange for the hostages, Israel will release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners from its prisons, including some serving long sentences for deadly attacks, although exactly how many will depend on how many of the hostages are still alive. An Israeli official said the number would be “many hundreds,” while a Palestinian official said it would be more than 1,000.
• Where the prisoners will be sent has yet to be agreed, but no one convicted of murder or deadly assault will be released to the West Bank.
• Anyone who participated in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 will not be released.

Israeli troops will withdraw

Israel will not fully withdraw its troops until all hostages are returned, but there will be a gradual withdrawal, with Israeli forces remaining in the border area to defend Israeli border towns and villages.

• There would be security arrangements in the Philadelphia Corridor bordering Egypt, along the southern edge of Gaza, and Israel would withdraw from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
• Unarmed residents of Northern Gaza would be allowed to return, with a mechanism to ensure that weapons are not moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.
• The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will gradually begin to operate, allowing the passage of sick and humanitarian cases from the enclave for treatment.

Increasing aid

There would be a significant increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where international bodies, including the UN, say the population is facing a serious humanitarian crisis.

Israel allows aid into the enclave, but there have been disputes over the amount allowed, as well as the amount that reaches people in need, and looting by criminal gangs has become a growing problem.

Who will govern Gaza?

Who will manage Gaza after the war is one of the unknowns of the negotiations. The current round of negotiations appears to have left the issue out of the proposal because of its complexity and the likelihood of keeping a limited deal.

Israel has said it will not end the war by leaving Hamas in power. He also rejected the administration of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority, a Western-backed body established under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago, which has limited sovereignty in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has also said since the start of its military campaign in Gaza that it would maintain security control of the enclave after the fighting ends.

The international community has said Gaza must be run by the Palestinians, but efforts to find alternatives to the main factions among civil society or clan leaders have proved largely fruitless.

However, there have been discussions between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the US about an interim administration to govern Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take power.