The Palestinian movement Hamas announced on Friday morning that all disagreements with Israel regarding the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip have been resolved. The statement was published on the official Telegram channel of the movement.
"Thanks to the efforts of mediators, all obstacles arising from Israel's failure to comply with the ceasefire agreement were removed this morning," the statement said. Hamas also noted that the movement will soon publish the list of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released by Israeli authorities in the first phase of the deal.
Earlier, The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel agreed to release 2,000 Palestinians in exchange for the release of 33 Israeli hostages during the first phase of the agreement, which will last 42 days. According to the publication, half of those set for release were detained after the events of October 7, 2023, and around 250 prisoners approved for the exchange are serving life sentences. However, the deal will not include the release of any terrorists directly involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, the report said.
On the evening of January 15, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced that, through the mediation efforts of Doha, Cairo, and Washington, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip and implement a ceasefire in the enclave. He stated that the agreement is expected to take effect on Sunday, January 19.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed the signing of the deal on January 16 in Doha by representatives from Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar. According to the statement, a security cabinet meeting followed by a full government session will be held to approve the agreement. The vote is scheduled for January 18.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Marius Arnesen/Creative Commons 3.0
Based on materials from TASS