What you need to know about the hostages for the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that starts on Sunday
The Israeli government is finalizing a historic ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, marking a critical step in the October 7, 2023, war. terrorist attack. Approved by Israel’s security cabinet, the deal will take effect on Sunday, and the first three hostages are expected to be freed. This agreement followed weeks of intense negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised US President Biden and President-elect Trump for their role in advancing the negotiations. Netanyahu thanked Biden for his commitment and praised Trump’s assertion that Gaza should never again become a “paradise for terrorism.”
Trump claimed in a podcast interview that his involvement sped up the process, saying, “We changed the course, and we changed the course quickly.”
Under the agreement, Hamas will release 33 hostages in the first phase, including women, children, elderly men and people with critical medical needs. Among them are 24-year-old Rumi Gonen, abducted from the Nova music festival, and Shiri Bibas with her two young sons, Ariel and baby Kfira. Families have been notified of initial releases, while details of subsequent phases will be announced 24 hours before rollout.
Netanyahu and his cabinet discuss hostages for a ceasefire deal at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem. January 17, 2025 (Courtesy of GPO)
Out of three The Americans believed they were alive in Gazaonly two — Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen — were included in the first phase. Sagui’s wife gave birth to their third child while he was in captivity. Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier, is not on the list.
Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at FDD and a former Trump NSC official, told Fox News last week that leaving Alexander off the initial list “would be a huge strategic mistake.”
In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners, including minors, women and individuals with medical conditions. Some of the notable prisoners include Nawal Abd Fattah, a 24-year-old convicted of attempting to stab an Israeli in 2020, and Ibrahim Zmar, a 15-year-old involved in a shooting in Jerusalem in 2023. People convicted of leading major terrorist attacks remain excluded from the deal.
A man runs in Jerusalem on January 15, 2025, past a billboard with portraits of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since an attack by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. (Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images)
The agreement stipulates that released prisoners cannot be re-arrested on the same charges and are not required to sign any declarations upon release. Each woman or child hostage corresponds to the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners, while the release of soldiers means 30 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 20 prisoners to long sentences.
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The deal also facilitates humanitarian aid, allowing 600 truckloads of supplies into Gaza per day. By the 22nd, displaced Gazans will be allowed to return to the northern areas, with security inspections limited to vehicles under Qatari-Egyptian control. The Israeli army will reduce its presence in certain areas, while maintaining control over key routes.
The release schedule begins with three hostages on the first day, followed by four hostages on the seventh day. Over the next five weeks, groups of three hostages will be released weekly until the 35th day. Between days 35 and 42, 12 more hostages will be freed, including long-term prisoners, including Avera Mengista, who has been held captive in Gaza for a decade, and Hisham al-Sayed, a mentally ill person who crossed into Gaza on his own and there has been held since before October 7.
This image from undated bodycam video footage of a downed Hamas terrorist released by the Israel Defense Forces shows the Hamas terrorist walking around a residential neighborhood in an undisclosed location in southern Israel. The Israeli military gathered a group of foreign correspondents on October 16, 2023 to show a 40-minute reel of gruesome footage collected from the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)
Negotiations for the second phase will begin on the 16th day of the first phase, with a focus on the release of the young men and soldiers and the return of the bodies. This phase will begin on day 43, lasting 42 days, with discussions about the remaining prisoners.
“Once the second phase begins, there will be an exchange for the remaining live hostages, including male soldiers, and all remaining Israeli forces will be withdrawn from Gaza, making the temporary ceasefire permanent,” President Biden he said at a press conference on Wednesday. He also noted that the third phase would include the return of the remains of hostages killed in captivity and the launch of a comprehensive plan to rebuild Gaza.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, speaking during the cabinet meeting, emphasized that in his conversations with President Biden and President-elect Trumpone point was expressly made clear: If negotiations for the second phase of the agreement fail, Israel will continue military operations.
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IDF forces operate in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesperson’s Office)
For the families of the hostages, the agreement represents both hope and heartbreak. Ronen and Orna Neutra, whose American-Israeli son Omer who was killed by Hamas and whose body remains in Gaza, called the deal bittersweet.
“This is a difficult moment. On the one hand, we are happy and excited for the families who will hopefully be able to see their loved ones after such a long time,” said Orna Neutra Fox News.
“We really hope that this new administration will be able to get the deal done and have all the gravitas to bring the different parties in the region to it. We trust President Trump that, you know, this is important to him and he’s going to make sure it happens. ”
