Washington DC:
Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced successful negotiations on the Gaza hostage ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was months in the making and ended more than 15 months of conflict. The agreed deal is structured in three phases, including a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the release of hostages, including Americans.
Biden noted that the final deal, which was helped across the line by an envoy from his successor Donald Trump, largely reflected the framework of a proposal he made in May.
“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the new administration. That's why I told my team to keep the new administration fully informed,” Biden said in a farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening.
First phase
Noting the details of the ceasefire agreement between Palestine-based Hamas and Israel, Biden said: “The deal is structured in three phases.”
The first phase would last six weeks and include “a complete ceasefire,” Biden said when he announced the ceasefire.
The president noted that in this phase “a number of hostages” held by Hamas, including women, the elderly and the sick, would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. He did not specify how many hostages would be released, but Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani previously told reporters it would be 33.
According to a BBC report, three hostages would be released immediately, while the remainder of the exchange would take six weeks.
In addition, Israeli forces would withdraw from “all” populated areas of Gaza and “the Palestinians” in the first six weeks after the agreement came into effect on January 19. [could] are also returning to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza,” Biden said.
He said the ceasefire would remain in place “as long as negotiations continue.” There would also be an increase in humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, with hundreds of trucks allowed in every day.
According to Biden, some details need to be negotiated to move from the first phase to the second phase, but the plan states that if negotiations last longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced as a result of Israeli evacuation orders, Israeli attacks and fighting on the ground.
Second phase
According to Biden, phase two of the deal would mean “a permanent end to the war” and involve the release of the remaining living hostages, including men, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.
In addition, all remaining Israeli forces will be withdrawn from Gaza and the temporary ceasefire will become permanent, Biden said.
Earlier, Palestinian officials said detailed negotiations for the second and third phases would begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire.
Hamas had seized 251 hostages when it attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas is reported to still be holding 94 prisoners, although Israel believes only 60 are still alive. Meanwhile, Israel is likely to release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.
Third phase
The third and final phase of the deal would include the reconstruction of Gaza, something that could take years, and the return of the remaining bodies of hostages.
“And finally, Phase 3 – all last remains of killed hostages will be returned to their families and a massive reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin,” Biden said.
He added: “Those who have followed the negotiations can confirm that the road to this deal has not been easy. I worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I have ever experienced. I've reached this point. because of the pressure Israel has put on Hamas, backed by the US.”