Hamas, Israel agree on ceasefire, truce to begin Sunday

Hamas and Israel have reached a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which will start with an initial phase lasting six weeks this Sunday.

Reuters reported that the deal included the release of hostages held by Hamas in the past 15 months of war and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said negotiators are now working with Israel and Hamas to implement the deal.

Hostilities in Gaza are still ongoing, with residents reporting Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday evening, but a Palestinian official close to the ceasefire negotiations was quoted as saying that they are attempting to get both sides to refrain from further fighting before Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government and security cabinet are scheduled to vote on the agreement on Thursday to make the acceptance of the truce official.

The deal is expected to be approved by Israeli officials although some hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government are against it.

Phase one of the deal involves the release of 33 Israeli hostages, who are women, children, and men over 50. Two American hostages are among those to be released in this phase.

Israeli troops will also gradually withdraw from Gaza.

The agreement also allows humanitarian assistance to flood Gaza, with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres saying the priority now will be to ease the suffering caused by the war.

The ceasefire deal to end the current war that has killed more than 46,000 people, mostly civilians, was reached after 96 hours of intense negotiations, according to a United States official under the current administration of President Joe Biden.

The official said the presence of president-elect Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was critical in reaching an agreement.

Negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal will begin by the 16th day of phase one's execution. It is expected to involve the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, a permanent ceasefire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

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