Under the deal, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas will free 20 living hostages in the first phase. A source within Hamas said the swap will involve nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including 250 serving life sentences.

The Israeli army confirmed preparations to withdraw troops from Gaza as part of the agreement. The deal also aligns with a peace plan announced earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump, which proposes Hamas’s disarmament and a transitional authority to govern Gaza.

News of the ceasefire sparked widespread celebration in Gaza, where residents expressed relief after years of bombardment and displacement. “Tears of joy flowed,” said displaced resident Samer Joudeh. “After two years of fear and loss, we finally feel a moment of respite.”

Talks were held behind closed doors in Egypt’s resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. mediating. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism, saying he would bring the hostages home “with God’s help.”

Read Also: Israel to ‘take control’ of Gaza City after approving new war plan

The war, which began after Hamas’s October 2023 attack that left over a thousand Israelis dead, has killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to health authorities.

Global calls for peace have grown amid mounting humanitarian crises and international protests. Both Israel and Hamas face accusations of war crimes, while mediators continue to push for lasting peace in the region.

Source: Channel

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Hamas said the return of the bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two young boys, Kfir and Ariel, and a fourth captive, Oded Lifshitz, would take place in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

This would be the first set of corpses Hamas will hand over since the October 7, 2023 attack.

Hamas had separately kidnapped Yarden Bibas, the boys’ father and Shiri’s husband on October 7, 2023, and was released from the Gaza Strip in a previous hostage-prisoner exchange on February 1.

The repatriation of their bodies is part of the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Read Also: Iran Guards Hail Gaza Ceasefire As Victory For Palestinians

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, 19 Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners in a series of Red Cross-mediated swaps.

Israel says eight of the remaining 14 Gaza hostages eligible for release under phase one are dead.

The Bibas family members have become national symbols of the hostage ordeal, capturing the despair that has gripped the nation since the Hamas attack.

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Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf also welcomed the deal which made the Zionist regime fail in achieving its strategic goal.

Read Also: Iran Welcomes End Of Israel ‘Aggression’ In Lebanon — Foreign Ministry

He called for action to punish the criminal regime and heal the wounds of the Palestinian nation.

On Wednesday Qatar and the United States announced a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas.

The truce would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a broader peace deal would be finalised.

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