Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire in Gaza… 15 months after the war

Hostage and prisoner exchange… Israel withdraws from Gaza
Biden, let’s go to the last achievement and hang on to the truce.
Trump: “This ceasefire is the result of victory in November”

Major foreign media outlets, including Bloomberg News and the Washington Post (WP), reported on the 15th (local time) that Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza War. It has been 15 months since the outbreak of war. The situation in the Middle East, which had been escalating war and raising concerns about a ‘fifth Middle East war’, also reached a major turning point with this ceasefire agreement.

On this day, foreign media, citing major sources, reported that both Israel and Hamas agreed to a three-stage ceasefire that would involve exchanging hostages and prisoners after stopping the war for 42 days and discussing a permanent ceasefire. It has been 15 months since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is about to take office on the 20th, also said on Truth Social, a social networking service (SNS) he created, “We have reached an agreement (release agreement) for the hostages in the Middle East,” and “They will be released soon.” .

According to the agreement reported by foreign media, Hamas will release 33 hostages in the first stage of the ceasefire. The targets are children, women, the injured, and people over 50 years of age. First, three hostages are released per week, and then all remaining hostages are released before the ceasefire period ends. In the second phase of the ceasefire, hostages and Israeli soldiers held captive by Hamas are scheduled to be released. There are currently 94 hostages detained in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli military estimates that 34 of them are already dead and 60 are alive.

Israel decided to release 30 Palestinian prisoners for each civilian hostage it released and 50 Palestinian prisoners for each female Israeli soldier. It was decided to release all Palestinian women and children held since the start of the Gaza War.

The Israeli military must gradually withdraw its troops deployed in the Gaza Strip in the first phase of the ceasefire. On the 16th day of the ceasefire, discussions on the second phase of the ceasefire will begin in detail. Topics of discussion include the release of male Israeli soldiers, a permanent ceasefire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. In the third phase of the ceasefire, reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will begin under the supervision of mediator countries such as Egypt and Qatar and the United Nations.

Israel plans to submit the ceasefire agreement to a cabinet vote on the 16th, and the ceasefire date is expected to be decided after the cabinet approves it. It is reported that the ceasefire is likely to take effect on the 19th.

U.S. President Joe Biden has been putting strong pressure on both Israel and Hamas to conclude ceasefire negotiations in order to make ending the Gaza War his last diplomatic and security achievement during his term. President-elect Trump also emphasized that the war in Gaza must end. He claimed that his presidential victory led to the conclusion of ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza War.

“This lengthy ceasefire agreement could only have been achieved as a result of our historic victory in November,” President-elect Trump said in a post on TruthSocial. “We have accomplished much without being in the White House. I am in the White House.” “Imagine all the amazing things that will happen when we go back and form a full administration and achieve more victories for America,” he said. “Following this agreement, my national security team, through the efforts of Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for the Middle East, will continue to work closely with Israel and our allies to ensure that Gaza will never again become a safe haven for terrorists,” he said. “We build on the momentum of this ceasefire.” “Based on this, we will further expand the historic Abraham Accords and continue to promote peace through strength in the region,” he explained.

Meanwhile, this war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 civilians and soldiers and kidnapping 251 people. Israel responded by sending ground troops into the Gaza Strip, in which 46,500 civilians and Hamas members were killed.

<ⓒ투자가를 위한 경제콘텐츠 플랫폼, 아시아경제(www.asiae.co.kr) 무단전재 배포금지>