Announcement from Mediator Qatar
Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to Begin on the 19th
Hostage and Prisoner Exchange Scheduled for First Phase
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas in the Gaza Strip will take effect at 8:30 a.m. on the 19th (local time).
According to major foreign media including the BBC on the 18th, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting as mediator, announced this. Both Israel and Hamas will halt hostilities for six weeks in the first phase, exchange hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and discuss the next phase.
In the first phase, Hamas agreed to release 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, and elderly people, who were taken during Hamas's surprise attack on October 7, 2023. Israeli authorities believe all 33 hostages to be released in the first phase are alive, but have not received final confirmation from Hamas.
Israel will release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. On the 18th, the Israeli Ministry of Justice approved the release of 737 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the ceasefire, AFP reported. The Ministry of Justice had previously announced the list of 95 Palestinian prisoners to be released on the first day of the ceasefire, the 19th.
The number of Palestinian prisoners to be released during the six-week first phase of the ceasefire may increase beyond 737. Ministry of Justice spokesperson Noga Katz said, "The final number of prisoners to be released in the first phase will depend on the number of surviving hostages released by Hamas."
Hamas took 251 Israelis hostage during the surprise attack in October 2023, and some have been released through temporary ceasefire agreements and Israeli military rescue operations. The Israeli military currently reports that 94 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, of whom 34 are believed to be deceased.
A situation room will be established in Cairo, Egypt, to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and hostage releases. Representatives from Israel, Hamas, and the mediators Egypt, Qatar, and the United States will oversee compliance with the agreement.
With the ceasefire taking effect, the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which had been effectively blocked under Israeli control, will be normalized. During the first phase of the ceasefire, 600 humanitarian aid trucks will enter Gaza daily, with 50 of these allocated for fuel transport. To this end, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has prepared aid supplies sufficient for 4,000 trucks entering Gaza, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has prepared enough food to feed over one million people for three months.
Discussions on the second phase of the ceasefire, which includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of remaining Israeli male soldier hostages, and a permanent ceasefire, will begin on the 16th day after the ceasefire takes effect. The outline of the second phase is that Israel will completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip and maintain sustainable peace in exchange for the return of all hostages remaining in Gaza, regardless of their condition. The third phase will include a permanent ceasefire and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
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