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Israel and Hamas have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal after meetings with Qatar’s prime minister, a source briefed on the talks has told the BBC.
There was no confirmation from the Israeli government or Hamas, but a Hamas official earlier told the BBC it had accepted a draft from mediators from Qatar, the US and Egypt.
US President-elect Donald Trump, whose envoy took part in the talks, also wrote on social media: “We have an agreement for hostages in the Middle East.”
Details of the three-phase plan have not been released, but reports say 33 of the belts held by Hamas will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
Negotiations for the second phase – which would require the release of the remaining hostages, the withdrawal of all Israeli troops and “permanent calm” – will begin in two weeks.
The third and final stage would be the rebuilding of Gaza – something that could take years – and the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages.
The Israeli army launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 46,700 people have died in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. Most of the 2.3 million people have also been displaced, there is widespread destruction and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter as a result of the struggle to get aid to those in need.
Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis kidnapped before the war, two of them dead.
