Israel is preparing to receive captives to be freed in the ceasefire deal [Getty]
Israeli forces killed at least 63 Palestinians in what is hoped will be the final days of the war on Gaza with the last details of a ceasefire deal being finalised, according to The New Arab’s Arabic-language service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Israeli institutions, including hospitals, are preparing for the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza since 7 October 2023 as part of the initial stage of the deal after 15 months of war on the Palestinian enclave.
The current proposed deal will see 33 Israeli captives released in the first phase – including women, children, those aged over 50 – and the wounded and sick. It will also see around 1,300 Palestinian detainees released from Israeli prisons.
An agreement has already been reached, but the announcement has been suspended until details about the implementation of the terms are finalised, Hamas sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The source added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to “obstruct” the deal at the last minute by asking soldiers to be added to the list of captives to be released in the first phase of the agreement.
The deal states that military personnel are scheduled to be released in the secondary phases, stipulating it is based on the condition that Israel releases at least 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the initial stage.
Another key challenge that has delayed the deal is Israel’s failure to hand over maps detailing the areas and times when the Israeli army will withdraw from Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian General Intelligence Service visited the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza on Tuesday to assess conditions at the crossing and to highlight any steps needed to re-activate operations there.
Bombing of Gaza
Despite the ceasefire agreement reaching its final stages, Israel has continued to pound Gaza, killing at least 63 Palestinians in the last day, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Early on Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed two Palestinians in Rafah’s Khirbet al-Adas area, taking the death toll from dawn on Wednesday to at least 22.
The UN agency OCHA has issued new warnings stating Gaza’s hospitals and sanitation systems are collapsing due to significant fuel shortages.
Several charities and international organisations have also raised alarm over the lack of fuel and how it is putting patients’ lives at risk.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reiterated that Israeli authorities are continuing to obstruct aid missions, with the latest being two attempts to reach hospitals in north Gaza on Tuesday prevented.
“The missions were meant to evacuate patients from the al-Awda and Indonesian hospitals – and to deliver food, water, fuel, hygiene kits as well as cleaning supplies, which are critical to hospitals,” he said.
Northern Gaza has been under a full Israeli siege since October 2024, with Palestinian authorities stating at least 5,000 people in the area have been killed or are missing.
The north has no functioning ambulances and only one medical facility, Al-Awda Hospital, is partially functioning.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 46,645 Palestinians since 7 October 2023 and wounded over 110,012 others in the same time frame. The war has decimated key infrastructure and plunged Gaza into a deep humanitarian crisis.
