Fragile negotiations: Details emerge on Gaza ceasefire deal and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas

3^min

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

As of 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas are set to take effect.

However, the Israeli army has announced it will continue its operations as planned, intensifying strikes in several areas of Gaza. Palestinians have described the bombardment as the most severe in the past two weeks.

These military operations unfold amid cries from families of Israeli hostages excluded from the current deal. They appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Friday night, urging him not to wait until the 16th day of the agreement to negotiate the second phase. This phase is expected to include 65 Israeli hostages whose fates remain uncertain, encompassing soldiers, men under 50 years old, and deceased individuals.

On Sunday, at 4 p.m., the first phase of the agreement is set to begin. Hamas will hand over three Israeli women to the Red Cross, who will facilitate their transfer to Israel.

In return, 95 Palestinian detainees will be released, including Zakaria Zubeidi, whom Israel has labeled the mastermind of the "Freedom Tunnel" escape when he fled with five prisoners from Gilboa Prison in 2021.

Although the Shin Bet (Israeli security agency) initially opposed Zubeidi's release, his name was added to the list following last-minute negotiations. He is expected to return to the West Bank, a focal point of opposition to the deal, which was discussed during Friday's Israeli cabinet session.

During the same meeting, Netanyahu introduced a new objective for the ongoing war, vowing to eliminate Palestinian factions in the West Bank. This announcement followed a Shin Bet report indicating that 80% of the Palestinian detainees freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal had resumed armed resistance in the area.

Israeli groups have since declared their intent to file legal petitions against dozens of Palestinian prisoners included in the deal.

Among the 737 detainees serving long-term sentences in Israeli prisons, the remaining 1,167 individuals are civilians arrested during Israel's ground operation in Gaza, whom Israel has reportedly kept as bargaining chips for future negotiations.