(NewsNation) — Thirty-three Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas in 2023 will be returned under the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
These hostages include women, children, people over the age of 50 and the sick or injured which were given special focus under the deal which passed after more than a year of negotiations, Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Wednesday.
In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in its jails.
“Qatar, Egypt and the United States are glad to declare the success of joint mediation efforts after warring parties in Gaza reached an agreement to exchange prisoners and hostages,” Abdulrahman Al Thani said.
The remaining American hostages are also expected to be released in the initial phase of the ceasefire deal, a U.S. official confirmed to NewsNation.
Families of hostages in Gaza asked for “space” surrounding the ceasefire deal, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the organization said in a statement.
“The hours ahead will be filled with profound anxiety and emotion for all involved,” they said.
Reported ceasefire between Israel, Hamas
A ceasefire was brokered with Qatar acting as an intermediary and President Joe Biden heavily pushing the two sides to reach an agreement and secure the release of hostages still being held by Hamas.
President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, also traveled to Qatar for discussions. Trump celebrated the deal on Truth Social, taking credit for the success of the deal and saying it would not have happened if he had not won in November.
Release of Israeli hostages
Negotiations on the second phase of releases will begin by the 16th day of phase one and are expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent truce and complete Israeli exit from Gaza, Reuters reported.
The third phase is expected to address the handing over of the remaining bodies of dead hostages and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction, according to the outlet.
While a deal has been signed it is yet to be approved by Israel’s Cabinet and is likely to be challenged before the country’s Supreme Court.
The Israeli Cabinet will vote on the ceasefire deal on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to approve the deal, according to Reuters.
War between Israel and Hamas
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas took approximately 240 civilians and soldiers hostage during the attack in Southern Israel.
Hamas released around 100 hostages during a negotiated pause in fighting. A total of 70 hostages have died, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Human rights organizations have warned of a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, which has long been blockaded with civilians unable to flee the area. Instead, they are displaced to different parts of the Gaza Strip as Israel has announced evacuation orders in cities and towns prior to military strikes.
Israel says 405 soldiers have been killed in the conflict, while Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed. It is not clear how many of those are combatants and how many are civilians.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside, Ashley Soriano, Kellie Meyer and Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.