Israel and Hamas agreed on this before handing over the hostages

Highlights: Israel and Hamas agreed on this before handing over the hostages. The release of dozens of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire and aid for Gaza: for the first time in the war, there is a deal between Israel and Hamas. The agreements at a glance.. Enlarge image Smoke after an Israeli airstrike over the city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire is initially scheduled to last at least four days and will allow for the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

The release of dozens of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire and aid for Gaza: for the first time in the war, there is a deal between Israel and Hamas. The agreements at a glance.

Enlarge image

Smoke after an Israeli airstrike over the city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip

Photo: SAID KHATIB / AFP

The war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been going on for more than six weeks now. Thousands of people, including many civilians, have been killed since the beginning of hostilities. Israel has been conducting a large-scale military operation against Hamas since Hamas' terror attack on Israel, in which 240 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip and around 1200,<> people were killed in Israel.

For the first time since the beginning of the war, there is now a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Hamas. The most important points of the agreement at a glance:

When does the ceasefire begin?

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marsuk named Thursday at 10 a.m. local time (9 a.m. CET) as the beginning of the ceasefire. The US broadcaster CNN, citing an Israeli source, also reported that a ceasefire should begin at that time. The ceasefire is initially scheduled to last at least four days and will allow for the exchange of hostages from the Gaza Strip for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

It was initially unclear whether the ceasefire would include the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants in Lebanon. According to Qatar, the ceasefire also allows a "large number of aid convoys" to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip, including fuel deliveries.

How long should the ceasefire last?

If the handover of the first hostages is successful and the ceasefire holds, the agreement could possibly be continued. According to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 50 hostages are to be released over the first four days; at least ten a day. After that, the exchange could continue as long as another ten hostages were released every day.

According to the document, there could be an extra day of ceasefire for every 10 more hostages released. However, the ceasefire should not last longer than ten days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured his coalition.

When will the first hostages be released?

According to the Qatari Foreign Ministry, it could take "some time" for the fighting to stop. A representative of the radical Islamic group Hamas said he expected a first exchange of "30 hostages for <> prisoners" starting Thursday.

With the exchange factor of three Palestinian prisoners for one hostage, the agreement could possibly continue at a later date, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed Palestinian official.

This would mean that Israel would free a total of about 100 people from Hamas – but in return, it would have to release a total of about 300 prisoners. Initially, there was no confirmation from the Israeli side.

Which hostages will be released first?

The first hostages to be released are said to be mainly women and children, both of Israeli and other nationalities. According to the AFP news agency, among the more than 240 hostages taken by Hamas in its brutal attack on October 7 are at least 35 children, more than half of them under the age of ten, and more than 50 women.

Which prisoners will Israel release in return?

Israel had published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who are apparently to be released in return. According to a report in the Times of Israel on Wednesday, 287 of the 300 detained Palestinians are young men up to the age of 18. The list also includes 49 members of Hamas. According to the report, 13 other detainees are adult women who were convicted mostly of knife attacks. Israeli media had previously reported that no prisoners in prison for murder would be released.

According to the Association for Palestinian Prisoners, there are around 7000,<> Palestinians in Israeli jails.

What's next after the hostage deal?

Whether the agreement between Israel and the terrorist organization will lead to a long-term settlement of the war is completely unclear. Even if everything goes as planned, dozens more hostages are still in the hands of Hamas.

The Islamists now have a few days to regroup. According to Israeli statements, Hamas has suffered heavy losses and completely lost control of the northern part of the Gaza Strip. In the next step, Israel wants to conquer the south of Gaza and destroy the structures of the terrorist group, especially the tunnel network.

At the very least, it is doubtful that the religious hardliners in Israel's government will be appeased by the hostage agreement. The far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for example, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Hamas wanted this time-out more than anything else. Other cabinet members, including Finance Minister Betalel Smotrich of the far-right Religious Zionism party, recently endorsed the agreement after initial criticism.

fek/AFP