Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire in Gaza, Qatar announced Wednesday night at a press conference in Doha. The agreement will enter into force on Sunday, will last 42 days and provides for the exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
The agreement must still be formally ratified by the Israeli security cabinet which will meet on Thursday at 11:00 local time. The far-right Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, had already announced that he would reject any agreement and after this Wednesday’s announcement became known, he described it as “bad and dangerous” for the national security of the State of Israel. Smotrich, who is a settler and leader of the Jewish supremacist party Religious Zionism, was joined by the Minister of National Security, also a settler and extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, who threatened not to support the agreement. However, the Government would have majority support to approve the ceasefire, although it could be hit if this far-right and supremacist sector decides to abandon the coalition that supports Netanyahu.
For its part, to implement the deal, Hamas’ negotiating team must obtain the consent of the group’s commanders in Gaza, including Muhammad Sinwar, whose brother Yahya led the group before he was killed by Israel in October.
If implemented, the ceasefire would allow the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, after more than a year of genocide against the Palestinian people that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Gazans, in their majority women, boys and girls, during this period Israel extended attacks and persecutions on the West Bank, and starting a war in Lebanon, putting the entire region on alert.
Other aspects of the agreement include the return of Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced by the Israeli Army to their homes in the Gaza Strip. The agreement also provides for allowing and facilitating travel for people injured by Israeli attacks and for the sick to receive treatment, as well as the deployment of Israeli forces to the Gaza border.
Reports of this agreement say that the hostages will be released in stages. Around 250 Palestinians sentenced by Israel to life imprisonment will be freed in a hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday. In total, some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released in the deal.
The impending ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will last six weeks, with Hamas releasing three hostages each week, according to Reuters. Hamas will first release female hostages and those under 19 years of age, followed by men over 50 years of age. Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for every hostage released and 50 for every Israeli female soldier. Hamas will release a total of 33 hostages during the first phase, including all women (including soldiers), children and men over 50 years of age.
This agreement comes in a context of a major political crisis in Israel and with the growing weakness of Prime Minister Netanyahu.
News in development
With information from Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
