Three US officials confirmed Wednesday evening (Israel time) that a deal to release at least some of the hostages has been reached between Israel and Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement on Wednesday night saying the deal would hopefully be finalized within hours.
“Due to the strong insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas folded on its last-minute demand to change the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor. However, several items in the framework have yet to be finalized; we hope that the details will be finalized tonight,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
A full government cabinet meeting is set for Thursday morning.
The Hamas terrorist organization released an official statement shortly before, saying that a delegation headed by Muhammad Darwish, chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and Leadership Council, met with a delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization headed by its secretary-general Ziyad al-Nahla, to review the agreement.
“Both sides believed that the heroic steadfastness of our people, the courage of the resistance and the strong will are the main support for the Palestinian negotiations in the battle of Al Aqsa, and stress that all efforts will be made to do so.
“This round of negotiations was successful in order to stop the war and aggression against our people,” the statement concluded.
According to the outline in the first phase of the agreement, a 42-day ceasefire will be in place.
The Deal, Phase One
Under the agreement, 33 of the remaining 95 hostages will be freed. Nearly two dozen families, however, will grieve: multiple mainstream media are reporting that at least 10 of those being released will be coming home in coffins.
The 33 hostages will not be freed all at once, nor is there mention as to when or how the 10 deceased captives will be transferred, according to an unconfirmed report.
The schedule for the first phase will allegedly be as follows:
Day 1: 3 hostages
Day 7: 4 hostages
Day 14: 3 hostages
Day 21: 3 hostages
Day 28: 3 hostages
Day 35: 3 hostages
Sometime during the final week: Remaining 14 hostages.
Those being freed include female IDF soldiers and “humanitarian hostages” such as women, the injured, and elderly men over 50. It is not known how many Israeli men under age 50 held hostage are still alive — but none of them are being freed, including two mentally ill Israelis who inadvertently entered Gaza in 2014 and have not been heard from since. Also being held are the bodies of two IDF soldiers who fell in battle when Hamas violated the ceasefire ending the 2014 summer war.
In exchange, Israel will release some 2,000 incarcerated Palestinian Authority terrorists, including 250 serving life sentences.
The IDF will reportedly withdraw to positions within Gaza territory, a buffer zone of approximately 700 meters from the borders of the enclave.
Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt, currently under IDF control, will reopen seven days after the start of the ceasefire. It is not clear who will control the crossing.
Trump Celebrates on Social Media
Incoming President Donald Trump made a victorious announcement of his own on his social media account, crowing in capital letters: “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
Trump followed up with a second post, saying he is “thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
The incoming president may not realize yet that at least some dual nationals (US-Israeli) could still be held captive in Gaza — and of those who are returning in the first phase, there are those who are no longer among the living.
In his second post, Trump said his national security team and special envoy Steve Witkoff “will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven. We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords.”
Despite Trump’s good intentions, however, Gaza certainly will remain a terrorist safe haven and may ultimately prove an even bigger threat than it presented on October 7, 2023.
Since the popularity of Hamas is at an all-time high both in Gaza and in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, it is unlikely its control over Gaza will end anytime soon.
Reminder: The three goals of the Iron Swords War were to rescue all the hostages being held in Gaza, to dismantle the Hamas terrorist organization’s ability to wage war with Israel and rule the enclave, and to ensure that Gaza never again becomes a threat to the Jewish State.
These three goals have yet to be accomplished. Worse, given the need for the incoming Trump Administration to secure its legacy as a “Middle East peacemaker,” it is growing less likely by the hour that Israel will ever be allowed to do so.
