Gaza ceasefire agreement reached despite eleventh-hour complications, reports Al Arabiya
A truce in Gaza has been finalized following critical last-minute amendments that nearly led to the collapse of the deal, according to sources cited by Al-Arabiya. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Final amendments were made after the deal between Hamas and Israel nearly collapsed, sources told the channel.
Israel and Hamas have reached and signed a ceasefire agreement to end 15 months of conflict in Gaza, as reported by Al Arabiya on Thursday, citing sources. The deal, facilitated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, features a 42-day truce along with a prisoner exchange.
Earlier on Thursday, Israel postponed a cabinet vote on the ceasefire agreement, attributing the delay to Hamas's failure to uphold aspects of the accord. In response, the militant group has denied these allegations.
According to Al Arabiya, the Israeli delegation departed from Doha, the capital of Qatar, “after overcoming the differences regarding the agreement,” emphasizing that the accord “almost collapsed” without the mediators’ intervention.
Sources indicated that it was decided that Israel would begin to reduce its raids on Gaza starting Friday evening. Additionally, a dispute concerning Hamas’ demands about the names of senior Palestinian prisoners to be released in the second phase of the deal was resolved.
The agreement is slated to begin on Sunday, as confirmed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who expressed optimism about the truce’s initiation despite the last-minute challenges. “It’s not exactly surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end,” he stated earlier on Thursday. “We’re tying up that loose end as we speak.”
Several media outlets have pointed to resistance from key factions within Israel’s governing coalition as a reason for the delay in ratifying the agreement. The Religious Zionism Party and its leader, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, condemned the deal and threatened to withdraw if Israel does not resume military actions after the initial phase of the ceasefire.
The agreement was initially announced on Wednesday by US President-elect Donald Trump and later confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is anticipated to unfold in three phases, each lasting 42 days.
During the first phase, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages—comprising women, children, and men over 50—in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and increased humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Negotiations for the second phase, commencing on day 16, focus on securing the release of all remaining Israeli captives, establishing a permanent ceasefire, and achieving a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The third phase will deal with the return of bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza under the oversight of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.
Following the announcement of the truce deal on Wednesday, Israel ramped up its airstrikes across Gaza just hours later. Health officials in the enclave reported that at least 70 people were killed overnight due to these strikes, which occurred while people celebrated the truce. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that they had “conducted strikes on approximately 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip” in the preceding 24 hours, attributing the escalation to Hamas firing a rocket into Israel on Thursday.
Hamas asserted that one airstrike targeted a location where a female Israeli hostage was being held.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
Israel and Hamas have reached and signed a ceasefire agreement to end 15 months of conflict in Gaza, as reported by Al Arabiya on Thursday, citing sources. The deal, facilitated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, features a 42-day truce along with a prisoner exchange.
Earlier on Thursday, Israel postponed a cabinet vote on the ceasefire agreement, attributing the delay to Hamas's failure to uphold aspects of the accord. In response, the militant group has denied these allegations.
According to Al Arabiya, the Israeli delegation departed from Doha, the capital of Qatar, “after overcoming the differences regarding the agreement,” emphasizing that the accord “almost collapsed” without the mediators’ intervention.
Sources indicated that it was decided that Israel would begin to reduce its raids on Gaza starting Friday evening. Additionally, a dispute concerning Hamas’ demands about the names of senior Palestinian prisoners to be released in the second phase of the deal was resolved.
The agreement is slated to begin on Sunday, as confirmed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who expressed optimism about the truce’s initiation despite the last-minute challenges. “It’s not exactly surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end,” he stated earlier on Thursday. “We’re tying up that loose end as we speak.”
Several media outlets have pointed to resistance from key factions within Israel’s governing coalition as a reason for the delay in ratifying the agreement. The Religious Zionism Party and its leader, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, condemned the deal and threatened to withdraw if Israel does not resume military actions after the initial phase of the ceasefire.
The agreement was initially announced on Wednesday by US President-elect Donald Trump and later confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is anticipated to unfold in three phases, each lasting 42 days.
During the first phase, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages—comprising women, children, and men over 50—in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and increased humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Negotiations for the second phase, commencing on day 16, focus on securing the release of all remaining Israeli captives, establishing a permanent ceasefire, and achieving a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The third phase will deal with the return of bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza under the oversight of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.
Following the announcement of the truce deal on Wednesday, Israel ramped up its airstrikes across Gaza just hours later. Health officials in the enclave reported that at least 70 people were killed overnight due to these strikes, which occurred while people celebrated the truce. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that they had “conducted strikes on approximately 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip” in the preceding 24 hours, attributing the escalation to Hamas firing a rocket into Israel on Thursday.
Hamas asserted that one airstrike targeted a location where a female Israeli hostage was being held.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
