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Hamas Accepts Draft Gaza Ceasefire Agreement, Releases Hostages: Officials


Hamas reportedly agreed to the draft ceasefire agreement with Israel that would include the release of dozens of hostages, according to The Associated Press, citing “officials involved in the talks.” The potential deal is the first sign in months that the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been going on for more than a year, may be nearing an end.

A possible deal it will reportedly take place in three phases, the first of which would begin with a 42-day ceasefire. During this time, 33 hostages will be released, including children, women, female soldiers, men over 50 and humanitarian cases. In exchange, Hamas would receive hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile prisoners. According to an Israeli government official, “most” of the 33 hostages kidnapped by Hamas from Israel on October 7, 2023 are still alive.

Speaking about the hostage-for-prisoner exchange, an Israeli government official noted that there was a “price” for getting the terrorist group to release the captives. The source, however, promised that Israel “will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages return home.”

People inspect debris and rubble at the site of an Israeli bombardment of an apartment block on Jalaa Street in Gaza City on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territories between Israel and Hamas.

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As part of the first phase of the deal, Israel would begin withdrawing from parts of northern Gaza, allowing Palestinians to return to their homes. However, security experts warn that this could allow Hamas to rebuild.

In addition, humanitarian aid will be delivered in the first phase of the agreement Gaza strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with IDF commanders in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor to discuss Hamas activities on November 19, 2024. (Photo provided by TPS)

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The details of the second phase are expected to be agreed during the first. However, a draft agreement cited by the AP indicates that during this phase, Hamas will release the remaining live hostages in exchange for the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza. An Egyptian official reportedly told the AP that deals for the second and third phases will be made before the first phase is completed.

“This is the only time since November 2023 that we’re really negotiating with Hamas, and they’re not playing the negotiating game,” an Israeli government official told FOX News.

The clerk listed multiple events, such as death Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and domestic pressure against the terrorist group, as key milestones in creating the right “conditions” for an agreement.

Israeli soldiers remove the bodies of civilians who were killed days earlier in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on this kibbutz near the Gaza border on October 10, 2023 in Kfar Az, Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

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Qatari and Israeli officials who spoke to FOX News expressed optimism about a potential deal that could lead to an end to the war.

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Thousands have been killed in the 15-month war, which began after Hamas’s brutal attacks on October 7, 2023, killed more than 1,200 Israelis and over 250 of them were taken hostage.

Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.



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