Here’s what you need to know about the ceasefire that’s just been announced.
This war between Israel and Hamas has been devastating – more than 46,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, more than 1,000 Israelis killed in the October 7th attacks. Could the bloodshed finally be coming to an end, at least for now?
The war between Israel and Hamas has been devastating – more than 46,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, more than 1,000 Israelis killed in the October 7th attacks.
Could the bloodshed finally be coming to an end, at least for now?
Here’s what you need to know about the… pic.twitter.com/d6Mv8k0ZNT
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) January 16, 2025
It’s made up of three different phases.
The first, that will begin on Sunday, will last six weeks and see 33 Israeli hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
In that time there’ll be no more Israeli bombing, though for now it continues, with dozens of casualties.
Desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza will ramp up, reportedly to 600 trucks a day, though given the breakdown in law and order within Gaza, distributing it will remain a major challenge.
Also during the first phase, Israeli forces will withdraw from much of Gaza and displaced Palestinians will able to return to the north of the territory, or what is left of it.
The first 33 hostages to be released will be women, sick and elderly men, some of whom are believed to already be dead.
But the two sides will need to agree in further negotiations on reaching the second phase of the agreement, which would see the remaining 60 or so hostages released and a longer lasting ceasefire.
That will be a crucial test as Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has previously always insisted he wanted to continue the war after a temporary pause.
The terms of this deal are not new, they’re basically the same as those outlined by President Biden last May.
Since then thousands more Palestinians and more than a dozen Israeli hostages have been killed.
It seems clear incoming President Donald Trump has had a major impact on the negotiations. He threatened “all hell will break out” if the hostages weren’t released, seemingly referring to Hamas.
But it looks like it was actually his team upping the pressure on Israel to reach a deal before his inauguration that helped make one happen.
Everyone’s afraid the ceasefire could break down at any stage. And huge questions remain for the future.
Who will govern Gaza and how? Up until now it’s been Hamas. Much of the international community want to see the Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, take a leading role, but that’s something Netanyahu has opposed. Meanwhile Hamas, despite sustaining huge blows, still remains a force on the ground.
On the humanitarian front, the task of rebuilding is going to be massive. Ttwo thirds of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, creating an estimated 40 million tonnes of rubble and debris. Disease and hunger are widespread and currently practically the entire population is displaced.
And finally, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not begin with this war, but after all the bitterness it has engendered, can there really be progress on any solution to it?
Gaza ceasefire: Hamas and Israel agree deal
Israel Hamas war: will Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal last?
Ceasefire was ‘long overdue’ says Starmer