The first phase of the ceasefire will last 42 days, and negotiations on the far more difficult second phase are meant to begin just over two weeks in. After those six weeks, Israel’s security cabinet will decide how to proceed.
Israeli airstrikes continued on Saturday, and Gaza’s Health Ministry said 23 bodies were taken to hospitals over the past 24 hours.
Demonstrators in Tel Aviv call for the immediate release of hostages being held by Hamas.Credit: AP
“What is this truce that kills us hours before it begins?” asked Abdallah Al-Aqad, the brother of a woman killed by an airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis.
And sirens sounded across central and southern Israel, with the military saying it intercepted projectiles launched from Yemen.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have stepped up attacks in recent weeks, calling the move solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
When the fighting stops
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In the ceasefire’s first phase, Israeli troops are to pull back into a buffer zone about a kilometre wide inside Gaza along its borders with Israel. With most of Gaza’s population in massive, squalid tent camps, Palestinians are desperate to get back to their homes, even though many were destroyed or heavily damaged.
In a post on X, Qatar’s foreign minister advised Palestinians and others to exercise caution when the ceasefire goes into effect and wait for directions from officials.
Israel’s military later said Palestinians would not be able to cross the Netzarim corridor that runs across central Gaza for the first seven days of the ceasefire, and it warned Palestinians not to approach Israeli forces.
Still, anticipation was high.
“The first thing I will do is go and check my house,” said Mohamed Mahdi, a father of two who was displaced from Gaza City’s Zaytoun neighbourhood. He also looked forward to seeing family in southern Gaza, but was “still concerned that one of us could be martyred before we are able to meet”.
Majida Abu Jarad said she had moved seven times with her husband and their six daughters during the war, heeding Israeli evacuation orders and staying in tents, abandoned classrooms or on the street.
“We will remain in a tent, but the difference is that the bleeding will stop, the fear will stop and we will sleep reassured,” she said while packing.
Freed hostages and prisoners
In the ceasefire’s first phase, 33 hostages in Gaza are to be released over six weeks in exchange for 737 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israel’s justice ministry has published a list of the prisoners, all younger or female. An organisation that represents victims of Palestinian attacks vowed to petition Israel’s Supreme Court to stop the release.
According to the ceasefire plan approved by Israel’s cabinet, the exchange will begin on Sunday afternoon local time (1am Monday AEDT). The plan says three living female hostages will be returned on the first day, four on day seven and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks.
During each exchange, Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel after the hostages have arrived safely.
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Also to be released are 1167 Gaza residents who were not involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that sparked the war. All women and children under 19 from Gaza held by Israel will be freed during this phase.
All Palestinian prisoners who were convicted of deadly attacks will be exiled to Gaza or abroad – some for three years and others permanently – and barred from returning to Israel or the West Bank.
The remaining hostages in Gaza, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase to be negotiated in the coming weeks. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Hundreds of aid trucks a day
Gaza should also expect a surge in food, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid.
Egypt’s foreign minister said the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world, would start operating soon. The crossing has been closed since Israel’s military took over the area in May. The minister said 600 trucks of aid, including 50 fuel trucks, should be entering Gaza daily during the ceasefire.
Palestinians on Wednesday celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.Credit: AP
The ceasefire plan approved by Israel’s cabinet says all trucks entering Gaza will be subject to Israeli inspections.
“It is clear that the situation in Gaza is still extremely complex and a lot of difficulties still remain for an effective distribution,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023 killed 1200 people and about 250 people were taken hostage. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead.
AP
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