A Gaza ceasefire deal is imminent following a breakthrough, officials state [Getty]
A ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is imminent, with the coming hours critical in finalising the terms of the truce and putting an end to over 15 months of bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Negotiators are meeting in Doha on Tuesday to finalise the terms after US President Joe Biden said the ceasefire and captive exchange deal was on “the brink” of being agreed.
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of the agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing US president and President-elect Donald Trump.
A Hamas source told The New Arab on Monday that the deal was likely to be agreed upon by Tuesday.
“I think there is a good chance we can close this … the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal,” Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.
There are increasing indications that a deal is close to fruition, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported, with a source in Hamas confirming that the group was given a draft of the agreement.
The source from Hamas told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “if there is no infringement on the essential points that concern our people, the response will be positive”.
Israel’s Broadcasting Authority said the security cabinet was likely to convene on Tuesday to “ratify the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the prisoner exchange with Hamas”.
The New Arab takes a closer look at what post-war Gaza might look like.
What are the main terms?
One of the biggest hurdles in realising a ceasefire deal has been what a post-war Gaza might look like.
The deal would see an immediate stop to Israeli aggression in Gaza and result in the biggest release of Israeli captives since the last temporary truce in the early months of the war.
In a speech on Monday, Biden said the deal would “free halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started”.
An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 out of 98 captives as part of the deal, Reuters reported.
The 33 captives released in the first stage of the deal will include children, women, men above 50 and any wounded or sick people.
What’s in the second phase of the deal?
On the 16th day of the truce, negotiations would start on the second stage during which the remaining living captives – male soldiers and men of military age – could be released.
During this stage, the bodies of dead captives will also be returned.
The second phase will also see a gradual troop withdrawal, with Israeli forces remaining on the border.
Israeli forces will withdraw from parts of the southern edge of Gaza in the first few days of the deal, while security arrangements will be in place in the so-called Philadelphi corridor.
Various reports state north Gaza residents, who have been forcibly displaced from the area multiple times during Israeli sieges, would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there.
Israeli troops will also withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
Israeli officials said Palestinian detainees convicted of deadly attacks would also be released, but the number depends on the number of live captives. They will however be banned from travelling to the occupied West Bank. This figure does not include anyone suspected of having taken part in the 7 October attack on Israel.
During this period, Gaza should see a surge in vital humanitarian aid coming through land crossings, without obstructions or attacks from the Israeli army.
Generally, the second phase of the deal should lead to a full and permanent end to the war, paving the way for the post-war period.
What is the post-war plan?
The day-after plan in Gaza is a key point in negotiations and a matter which has already caused contention in previous talks.
So far, it is vague due to fears it could totally de-rail a ceasefire deal.
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken is set to lay out a plan for the ‘day after’ in Gaza on Tuesday – including its re-building and governing.
Three US officials told Axios that the details will be revealed in a speech at the Atlantic Council, to help conclude the deal.
Blinken has already presented his plans for future security, administration and reconstruction in Gaza to several US allies.
“We are ready to hand that over to the Trump administration so it can work on it and run with it when the opportunity is there,” he said.
His plan is set to include a system that involves the international community and Arab states possibly sending troops to Gaza to stabilise the security situation and oversee the delivery of aid.
Blinken’s plan will also call for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be a part of any future governance in Gaza, despite the Israeli government agreeing to any post-war plan that includes the PA or Hamas.
Israel is insisting that it retains security control of Gaza even after fighting stops, but the international community believes Gaza should be governed by Palestinians.
In October, Blinken appointed his adviser Jamie Ruin as the point of contact for the day-after plan. However, Palestinian officials were reportedly unhappy when he travelled to Israel and the occupied West Bank to discuss the plan and was met with a long list of reservations.
There have been some discussions between Israel, the UAE and the US about forming an interim administration to run Gaza, until a reformed PA can take control, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
