FACT BOX - What happens next after Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire?
The agreement signed in Egypt by Israel, Hamas, and mediators called the “Comprehensive End of Gaza War,” reveals the next steps to be taken in Gaza within 72 hours, according to a document obtained by Anadolu.
The Israeli government approved an agreement to end the war in Gaza and exchange prisoners with Palestinian factions in a statement issued early Friday by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, following Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya’s announcement of approval on Thursday.
All government ministers voted in favor of concluding the agreement, with the exception of five, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to Israeli media.
As per the agreement, all military operations are to be suspended. A ceasefire became effective immediately after Israel's approval, according to Israeli media.
Humanitarian aid and Israeli withdrawal
Additionally, the document says that there will be an “immediate commencement of full entry of humanitarian aid and relief as determined in the proposal, and at a minimum in consistence with the Jan. 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid.”
With the agreement approved, the Israeli army will withdraw to the Yellow Line, referring to a vague map shared by US President Donald Trump on Oct. 4, showing an initial Israeli withdrawal zone marked in yellow, within the next 24 hours. As long as Hamas fully implements the agreement, Israel will not return to the withdrawn areas, the document said.
Hostage exchange plan
“Within 72 hours of the withdrawal of Israeli forces, all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, held in Gaza will be released,” according to the document.
In addition, Hamas will hand over all information it possesses regarding Israeli casualties to a joint mechanism to be established with the participation of Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Reciprocally, as Hamas releases all hostages, Israel will release the corresponding number of Palestinian prisoners (according to Hamas sources, a cohort of 2,000 prisoners, mostly women and adolescents will be released), presided over by the aforementioned mechanism without any public ceremonies or media coverage.
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 48 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive, and more than 11,100 Palestinians are in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
Implementation task force
A task force is set to be formed under the agreement, composed of representatives from the US, Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye and other countries, to follow up on the implementation of the agreement and coordinate with both sides.
Agreement of first phase of ceasefire
Early Thursday morning, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan.
The agreement came after four days of indirect negotiations between the two parties in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of delegations from Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, under US supervision.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.
AA
