After 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Israeli officials have reached a tentative agreement, according to an exclusive report from NBC News. The news outlet reported that senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed that the group had agreed to the terms of the latest deal. The agreement will bring the first break in violence in the region since December 2023.
Part of the deal entails freeing both hostages held by Hamas as well as Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. The agreement was brokered with the help of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. It comes as Iran, an ally of Palestine, has faced increasing struggles on the battlefield.
The agreement also comes as winter closes in on over 83% of Palestine’s population, which is now displaced throughout the region. According to the United Nations Relief and Workers Agency, it would take two years to deliver enough supplies to those displaced due to Israel’s blocking of aid to Gaza.
If both parties follow the agreement, Israel will withdraw troops from the most heavily populated areas of the Gaza Strip, and Hamas will release 33 prisoners in exchange for 100 Palestinians on Israeli death row. Israel has also agreed to release an additional 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who were being held for reasons other than the October 7 attacks.
According to Naim, much of the suffering Palestinians have faced over the last year could have been avoided, as Wednesday’s agreement is the same one Hamas approved in May 2024. “We are very happy to reach a deal today to stop the aggression against our people, but unfortunately, we were able to reach the same deal last May,” he said.
According to health officials, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began on October 7, 2023. Most of them were civilians. In November 2024, an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel was also accused of genocide in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International. The country refuses to accept the accusations and claims any assertion of genocide is anti-Semitic.
The ceasefire should officially begin on Friday, January 17, 2025.
