New agreement reached as Hamas agrees to release 33 prisoners while Israel starts to pull out from Gaza and provide assistance: report suggests

Negotiations between Israeli officials and Hamas are progressing well and have reportedly achieved a significant breakthrough. This development sets the stage for a substantial prisoner exchange and a delicate ceasefire agreement, ultimately resulting in the liberation of 33 hostages.

As per the latest information coming to light, Hamas has consented to freeing the captives as part of a reciprocal agreement with Israel. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will redeploy its troops from certain areas in Gaza, facilitate the provision of vital humanitarian aid, and release a multitude of Palestinian detainees in exchange for the hostages.

This landmark agreement is marked by specific numerical terms. Notably, Israel will release 50 prisoners for each Israeli female soldier currently held in captivity by Hamas, underscoring the intricate nature of the negotiations and the complexity of the exchange.

Israel will also release 30 children and women held in custody for every hostage Hamas releases.

The first phase also involves the release of around of 200 individuals sentenced to life imprisonment, alongside 1,000 additional detainees — including all women, children, and sick prisoners currently held in Israeli custody.

The deal, reportedly brokered with the assistance of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, represents a significant concession by both parties. 

While Israel has insisted on the inclusion of more hostages, including wounded soldiers, Hamas has leveraged the situation to secure the release of prisoners considered high-value by Israeli authorities.

For detainees sentenced to life imprisonment, the stakes are even higher, with reports suggesting many could face deportation to Qatar, Egypt, or Turkey to mitigate potential security risks.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal before Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.

Talks mediated over the past year by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal but in recent days, U.S. officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement.

Sunday’s call between Biden and Netanyahu came as the head of Israel´s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Biden’s top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in the Qatari capital Doha. 

Barnea’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, meant high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement were involved in talks.

The White House and Netanyahu´s office both confirmed the phone call between the two leaders without providing details.

So far, only one brief ceasefire has been achieved in 15 months of war and that was in the earliest weeks of fighting. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week a deal was ‘very close’ and that  he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration.

So far, Netanyahu has signaled he is committed only to the first phase of a ceasefire that would see a partial hostage release in exchange for a weekslong halt in fighting.

Hamas has insisted on a full Israeli troop withdrawal from the largely devastated territory, but Netanyahu has insisted on destroying Hamas´ ability to fight in Gaza.

Some of the issues in the talks have included which hostages would be released in the first part of a phased ceasefire deal, which Palestinian prisoners would be released and the extent of any Israeli troop withdrawal from population centers in Gaza.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children. 

Israel’s campaign was triggered by Hamas´ October 7, 2023 attack, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others.

Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.

On Sunday night, Israelis rallied again in the city of Tel Aviv, with photos of hostages on display.

In Gaza, Palestinians were tempering their hopes for a stop to Israel’s campaign, which has devastated much of the territory and driven more than 80 percent of its 2.3 million people from their homes.

‘We hear that there are negotiations every day, but we see nothing,’ said Mazen Hammad, a resident of the southern city of Khan Younis. 

‘When we see it on the ground, then we believe that there is a truce.’