Mediators urge Hamas to respond on hostage-ceasefire draft agreement

Mediators have given Hamas a deadline to respond to the “final” draft of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement by midnight tonight, reports say.

Sources suggest that Hamas has provided Qatari mediators with a list of living hostages, as Israel had requested, which is believed to have been reviewed by Israeli authorities, Caliber.Az reports citing Israeli media.

The list reportedly includes 34 names, comprising women, children, and elderly or infirm men, and if the deal progresses, these hostages would be released in the first phase, which would span 42 days. Hostage releases are expected to begin one week after the truce is implemented.

The second phase of the agreement would focus on the release of male hostages under the age of 50 and is set to begin 16 days after the initial ceasefire takes effect.

While Hamas has called for an “end to the war,” sources suggest that such language will likely not appear in the final agreement. Instead, references will be made to establishing a “permanent ceasefire.”

Israel-Hamas War, war between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. 

The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence.  

More than 240 people were taken hostage during the attack. The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The war began with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducting air strikes on the Gaza Strip, followed weeks later by the incursion of ground troops and armored vehicles.

By Vafa Guliyeva