Cease-fire
- Deal signed
- Israel approves
- Cease-fire begins
Partial Israeli military pullback
- Deal signed
- Israel prepares
- Israel pulls back
Hostage exchange
- Deal signed
- Israel approves
- 72-hour window begins
- Hostages returned
- Prisoners released
- Remains exchanged
Aid
- Deal signed
- Aid enters Gaza
- Rafah crossing opens
Israel and Hamas have signed a cease-fire agreement to free the remaining hostages in Gaza. Mediators hope that the deal will finally bring an end to two nightmarish years of war that have killed tens of thousands and laid waste to the Gaza Strip.
The agreement is based on the first stage of a detailed plan put forward by President Trump. But the future is murky: Many of the plan’s ambitious ideas for postwar Gaza have yet to be negotiated.
Here’s the progress of the deal so far.
Cease-fire
Israel and Hamas agreed to an open-ended cease-fire after two years of war, which the United States and other mediators hope will finally end the conflict.
- Broad agreement Negotiators from both sides sign the deal in Egypt
- Israeli cabinet approval Israel’s government formally votes on the agreement
- Beginning of cease-fire Both sides suspend military operations
Partial Israeli military pullback
Israeli forces are expected to partially withdraw from the Gaza Strip while remaining deployed there.
- Broad agreement Israel and Hamas agree on maps for Israeli troop withdrawal
- Preparation by Israeli military to pull back to agreed line Israeli forces scale down their operations to prepare
- Withdrawal by Israeli military to agreed line Soldiers withdraw to an agreed-upon “yellow line” in Gaza
Hostage exchange
Hamas is expected to free the 20 living hostages in Gaza and to turn over the bodies of 28 others. Israel is to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and the bodies of 360 Palestinians.
- Broad agreement Negotiators from both sides sign the deal in Egypt
- Israeli cabinet approval Israel’s government formally votes on the agreement
- Beginning of 72-hour window Hamas has 72 hours to return living Israeli hostages and remains
- Return of hostages Hamas turns over 20 living hostages and the bodies of those it can find
- Release of Palestinian prisoners Israel releases about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners
- Exchange of deceased hostages and prisoners Hamas returns the bodies of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for the remains of Palestinian detainees
Aid
Restrictions on the delivery of desperately needed food, medicine and other relief are to be lifted. The Rafah crossing with Egypt should also open.
- Broad agreement Israel and Hamas sign off on humanitarian conditions for Gaza
- Start of additional aid entering Gaza Aid groups begin bringing in hundreds more trucks of relief per day
- Reopening of Rafah crossing Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt reopens, allowing more aid and some people to leave
The issues below aren’t covered by the current cease-fire deal, and could be sticking points in future negotiations.
Gaza governance
Mr. Trump’s plan stipulates that postwar Gaza be governed by a technocratic Palestinian committee, not Hamas. Hamas says it is open to the idea, but many of the details still need to be worked out.
Disarmament
Under Mr. Trump’s plan, Hamas would have to lay down its weapons. Its members would seek amnesty or leave Gaza for exile abroad. It’s a key demand for Israel, but Hamas officials have expressed serious reservations about this in the past.
International security mission
The U.S. framework calls for an “international stabilization force” to handle security in postwar Gaza. That’s not in the current agreement. But even the prospect raises huge questions: which countries would send troops, how they would do their jobs and whether they would be effective.
Full Israeli withdrawal
The current agreement leaves Israeli forces deployed through the Gaza Strip. It is far from clear when, or under what conditions, Israel would finally agree to withdraw its forces from Gaza.
