Families of hostages captured during the 15-month-long Gaza war will definitely be breathing a sigh of relief as Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal.
The agreement was announced by US President Joe Biden with Israel agreeing to withdraw its troops from Gaza and Hamas pledging to release all hostages taken during the October 7 attack.
The ceasefire deal is structured into three phases, with the first phase set to begin on January 19 and last for six weeks.
During this period, the US will provide assistance in the initial phase of the hostage release deal.
The second and third phases will be negotiated during the first phase, with Biden confirming that the ceasefire will continue even if negotiations take longer than six weeks.
In the second phase, the remaining hostages and Palestinian prisoners will be released by Hamas and Israel.
The third phase will involve Hamas returning the bodies of the remaining captives. This truce comes after months of US-backed ceasefire talks led by Egypt and Qatar.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked outgoing US President Joe Biden and US President-elect Donald Trump for their roles in brokering the ceasefire deal.
Over 250 civilians were captured by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
