The IDF will reportedly withdraw from most of Gaza, with prisoner exchanges expected within several days
US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan entails Israeli forces withdrawing from large swathes of the Palestinian enclave and Hamas releasing the remaining hostages within several days, according to media reports.
An Egyptian source involved in the talks told Sky News Arabia that negotiators agreed to a “complete ceasefire” and a “gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from 70% of Gaza.”
Ynet meanwhile reported that Israeli forces would be required to withdraw to a pre-set line within 24 hours, leaving Israel in control of around 53% of the Palestinian enclave. This would include an IDF withdrawal from Gaza City and several other central areas, the report said.
According to Reuters, Hamas would release all living hostages within 72 hours of Israeli government approval. In return, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained since 2023, including all women and minors. Hamas still holds around 48 hostages; Israel believes that around 20 are still alive.
After announcing the breakthrough in the negotiations, Trump told Fox News that the hostages will probably be released on Monday, while promising that Gaza “will be rebuilt.”
“Gaza… is going to be a much safer place… other countries in the area will help it reconstruct because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen,” Trump said, without revealing the nations to be involved.
Despite the reported breakthrough, several questions remain unanswered – including Gaza’s post-war administration and the fate of Hamas, which Israel has vowed to completely destroy. Trump’s original peace plan envisioned a limited administrative role for the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, but only after major reforms.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters attacked the Jewish state, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military operation in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to local officials. It also led to unprecedented destruction and a humanitarian disaster in the enclave.
You can share this story on social media:
Read the full article here