After two years of relentless conflict, Israel and Hamas are on the verge of carrying out the first stage of a ceasefire deal that could finally bring the Gaza war to an end. The arrangement, announced last week by President Trump and approved by Israel’s government, centres on a highly sensitive exchange: Israeli hostages still held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel. The swap is expected to begin early on Monday morning, marking the clearest sign yet that the brutal war that began in October 2023 may be nearing its conclusion, the New York Times reported.
How the exchange will unfold
The Israeli authorities estimate that around 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza, while the remains of about 25 others are also expected to be returned. This is the final group of roughly 250 people who were taken captive during Hamas’s surprise assault on southern Israel two years ago. The releases will begin with the living hostages, who will be transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross before being handed over to the Israeli military. Survivors are expected to undergo medical checks at the Reim military base in southern Israel before being flown to hospitals in Tel Aviv, where their families are waiting.
In return, Israel will release about 250 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences, as well as nearly 1,700 Gazans who were detained during the course of the war. More than half of those prisoners will be sent into exile, though it remains unclear which countries will take them. Officials have acknowledged that returning the remains of deceased hostages will take longer than the 72 hours outlined in the Trump administration’s plan, with Israel offering to exchange the bodies of Gazans for each Israeli hostage’s remains.
Israeli troop movements
As part of the ceasefire’s first phase, Israel has begun repositioning its forces to what negotiators describe as a “yellow line” inside Gaza. The Israeli military confirmed on Friday that it had started pulling back troops, though maps released to the public may not precisely reflect their new positions. Forces are expected to remain along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, in the strategic corridor known as Philadelphi, to monitor the flow of goods and weapons.
For Palestinians, the withdrawal marks the first tangible reduction of Israel’s military presence in the enclave in two years. Families displaced by fighting have already begun returning to Gaza City in the north, even as uncertainty remains about the permanence of these shifts.
Aid deliveries to Gaza
Equally crucial to the deal is the influx of humanitarian aid. Gaza has endured famine, widespread destruction, and collapsing infrastructure throughout the war. Under the new agreement, approximately 600 aid trucks a day—double the previous number—will be permitted to cross into the enclave. The deliveries will include food, medical equipment, tents, fuel, and cooking gas, with the U.N. overseeing much of the distribution.
International organizations have said they are scaling up operations quickly, with plans to support bakeries, distribute cash to families, and provide high-energy food to vulnerable groups such as children, adolescents, and pregnant women. Aid workers described the expansion as the most significant since the beginning of the war, though much depends on whether Israel sustains the flow of supplies and whether local conditions allow distribution across devastated areas.
The unresolved question of Hamas disarmament
Despite the breakthrough, one of the most pressing issues remains unresolved: Hamas’s weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long insisted that no agreement could last unless Hamas agreed to disarm. But the militant group has publicly rejected such terms, framing them as a threat to its survival. Mediators from Qatar and Egypt say Hamas may be open to discussions on a partial disarmament or new security arrangements, but they stressed that securing the release of hostages had to come first.
For now, diplomats argue that the exchange reduces immediate tensions but leaves the question of Hamas’s future role in Gaza unanswered. The group retains political control in the enclave and has signalled it is willing to negotiate a different kind of relationship with Israel, though what that looks like remains to be defined.
Relief after two years of war
The deal offers a moment of relief after one of the deadliest conflicts in the region’s history. Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack killed about 1,200 Israelis and sparked a military response that, according to Gaza health officials, has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead. Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, while Israel has faced growing international isolation and criticism over the scale of civilian casualties.
For many Israelis, the return of the last hostages marks the closing of a traumatic chapter that began with the surprise assault two years ago. For Palestinians, the ceasefire offers at least a temporary reprieve from the relentless bombardment and a lifeline of aid to stave off starvation. Yet both sides remain deeply scarred, and whether this deal leads to a sustainable peace is still far from certain.
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