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From Fox News: The Israeli government has finalized a historic cease-fire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, marking a critical step in the war since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Approved by the Israeli security cabinet and cabinet, the deal will take effect Sunday, with the first three hostages expected to be released. This agreement follows weeks of intensive negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised U.S. President Biden and President-elect Trump for their roles in advancing the negotiations. Netanyahu thanked Biden for his commitment and lauded Trump’s assertion that Gaza should never again become a “haven for terrorism.”
Under the agreement, Hamas will release 33 hostages in the first phase, including women, children, elderly men and individuals with critical medical needs. Among them are 24-year-old Rumi Gonen, abducted from the Nova music festival, and Shiri Bibas with her two young sons, Ariel and baby Kfir. Families have been notified of the initial releases, while details of subsequent phases will be shared 24 hours prior to implementation.
Out of the three Americans believed alive in Gaza, only two — Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen — are included in the first phase. Sagui’s wife gave birth to their third child while he was in captivity. Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier, is not on the list.
In exchange for the 33 hostages, Israel must release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners, including minors, women and individuals with health issues. However, those convicted of leading major terror attacks remain excluded from the deal, the report states.
According to the deal, Israel must release 30 Palestinian prisoners for each woman or child hostage. That equates to 990 prisoners released for the 33 hostages.
Other stipulations of the agreement include:
- Released prisoners cannot be arrested again on the same charges and are not required to sign any declarations upon their release.
- The release of soldiers includes 30 life-sentenced prisoners and 20 serving long terms.
The hostages will not all be released the same day… the process will drag out over a period of 35 days, the report explains.
The release schedule begins with three hostages on the first day, followed by four on the seventh day. Over the next five weeks, groups of three hostages will be released weekly until the 35th day.
Between the 35th and 42nd days, 12 more hostages will be freed, including long-held captives including Avera Mengistu, who has been held captive in Gaza for a decade, and Hisham al-Sayed, a mentally ill individual who crossed into Gaza on his own and has been held there since before Oct. 7.
These are the 33 hostages set to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire.#winning https://t.co/cl4UD8kguh pic.twitter.com/LQOpUHYXbi
— Killswitch Engineer (@d__el) January 17, 2025
ISRAEL: PM Netanyahu announced that Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages on Sunday as part of a ceasefire deal, pending government approval. The Bibas family and others are among those expected to be freed. The deal begins Sunday at 12:15 pm. pic.twitter.com/99DhPreewK
— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) January 17, 2025
BREAKING: Israeli government approves cease-fire and hostage deal with Hamas https://t.co/7mKMbBo67w
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 17, 2025
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