Tel Aviv, Israel
CNN
—
The Israeli government and Hamas have agreed to a deal that will end fighting in Gaza and lead to the gradual release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners, a source briefed on the negotiations told CNN.
Under the terms of the deal, which has not yet been officially announced, Hamas and its allied militant groups are expected to release 33 hostages captured in Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks. In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The deal would provide the first respite from the war to Gaza’s population in more than a year, and only the second since Israeli bombardment began.
Once confirmed, the deal is expected to allow Palestinian civilians to return to northern Gaza and lead to a massive influx of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where residents have long faced dire humanitarian conditions.
The Israeli army would begin withdrawing from population centers in the first phase, but would remain along the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphia Corridor, an Israeli official said Wednesday.
Israel would also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border with Israel, the size of which has been one of the final sticking points in the negotiations.
The deal would also increase the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, according to The Associated Press, which has seen a copy of the draft agreement.
The deal is expected to include the release of five female Israeli soldiers held by Hamas in the first phase of the deal, each of which would be exchanged for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted activists serving life sentences, a reported the Associated Press.
Palestinian prisoners found responsible for killing Israelis would not be released to the West Bank, but rather to the Gaza Strip or abroad following agreements with foreign countries.
Hamas and its allies still hold 94 people taken to Israel on October 7, 2023. At least 34 of them are dead, according to the Israeli government, although the real number is expected to be higher. Hamas has held four other hostages captive since 2014, at least two of whom have died.
Of the 94 hostages taken on October 7, 81 are men and 13 are women, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Two are children under five; 84 are Israeli, eight Thai, one Nepalese and one Tanzanian.
Israel holds at least 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, according to the Prisoner Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society – although that figure does not include an unknown number of Palestinians taken prisoner in Gaza. The number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel includes 3,376 people held in administrative detention, meaning no public charges against them or trials, including 95 children and 22 women.
Negotiations to reach the second and third phases of a ceasefire agreement – which aims to end the war – would begin on the 16th day of the agreement’s implementation, according to an Israeli official.
It is not guaranteed that the ceasefire will last beyond the first phase of the agreement. However, the official said Israel was eager to “bring all our hostages home” and would begin negotiations in good faith to enter the second phase of the deal, which could lead to the complete withdrawal of forces. Israelis from Gaza.
Israel does not commit to ending the war in the deal but has pledged to begin negotiations to enter the next phase of the deal – which would lead to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. The Associated Press reported that mediators gave Hamas verbal guarantees that they would pressure Israel to reach an agreement for the next phases of the deal.
The Israeli army has killed at least 46,645 Palestinians in Gaza since launching its offensive in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 110,000 people were injured.
CNN’s Becky Anderson and Hira Humayun contributed to this report.