Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a deal that will see all hostages held in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Shosh Bedrosian, an Israeli government spokeswoman, said on Thursday that if the government voted to approve the deal that night, a formal cease-fire would go into effect 24 hours later.
Once the cease-fire begins, Ms. Bedrosian said, Hamas will have 72 hours to free the hostages held in Gaza. Israeli forces, she added, would withdraw to an agreed-upon line, remaining in control of about half of the enclave.
President Trump said on Thursday that the hostages would be released Monday or Tuesday.
As the deal has not yet been published, many of its details were unclear. The New York Times spoke to officials from Israel and Egypt who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details about the deal.
Here’s what we know:
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The deal secures a cease-fire and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops inside Gaza.
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It does not resolve several thorny issues, such as Hamas’s disarmament, the question of a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and how — or by whom — postwar Gaza will be governed.
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The roughly 20 hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza are expected to be released early next week.
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Officials are still finalizing a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released. President Trump’s proposal stipulated that 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 Gazans detained since Oct. 7, 2023, including all such remaining women and children, would be released.
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Exactly when the bodies of dead hostages will be released — about 25 are believed to be in Gaza — depends in part on whether Hamas is able to locate them.
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To facilitate getting more aid into Gaza, the Rafah crossing from Egypt will reopen. It will be operated on the same terms as it was during a cease-fire in January, when personnel from the Palestinian Authority and the European Union were stationed there.
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After their partial withdrawal, Israeli forces will remain along the Gaza-Egyptian border, in an area known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
Natan Odenheimer is a Times reporter in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
Ronen Bergman is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, based in Tel Aviv.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.
The post What we know about the terms of the Israel-Hamas hostage deal. appeared first on New York Times.
