Despite accusations on both sides of ceasefire breaches, the fragile agreement that took effect on January 19 has held up since the first in a series of exchanges of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.
Two women embrace at the so-called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, ahead of the return by Hamas of the hostage remains on Thursday.Credit: AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from far-right coalition allies for agreeing to the deal, which some in Israel feel rewards Hamas and leaves the militant group in place in Gaza.
But successive surveys have shown broad support among the public for the ceasefire, and thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to demand the government stick to the deal until all the remaining hostages are returned.
Israel launched its war in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas-led attack that killed some 1200 people, according to Israeli tallies, with 251 kidnapped. The Israeli military campaign has killed some 48,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say, and left densely populated Gaza largely in ruins.
Posters of Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel and Kfir, who were taken hostage by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023.Credit: AP
Living hostages
Thursday’s handover of bodies will be followed by the return of six living hostages on Saturday, in exchange for hundreds more Palestinians, expected to be women and minors detained by Israeli forces in Gaza during the war.
Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in the first phase of an agreement intended to open the way towards ending the war in Gaza.
Hamas fighters take up a position ahead of handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages.Credit: AP
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So far, 19 Israeli living hostages have been released, as well as five Thais who were returned in an unscheduled handover.
Negotiations for a second phase, expected to cover the return of about 60 remaining hostages, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip to allow an end to the war, are expected to begin in coming days.
Prospects for an agreement remain uncertain, with both sides far apart on issues including the future governance of Gaza, which Israel has said cannot be run by either Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
The issue has also been clouded by US president Donald Trump’s call for Palestinians to be resettled outside Gaza, a move critics say would amount to a war crime and ethnic cleansing, and for the enclave to be developed as a waterfront property under US control.
