Hostage Exchange And More: What To Know About 3-Phase Gaza Deal

The outgoing US President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the successful negotiation of the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas, which was months in the making, ending over 15 months of conflict. The agreed-upon deal is structured in three phases, including a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of hostages, including Americans.

Biden noted the final deal, which was helped across the line by an envoy of his successor Donald Trump, largely mirrored the framework of a proposal he made back in May. 

"This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed," Biden said in a farewell address on Wednesday night from the Oval Office.

First Phase

Noting the details of the ceasefire agreement between the Palestine-based Hamas and Israel, Biden said, "The deal is structured in three phases."

The first stage would last six weeks and see "a full and complete ceasefire", Biden said announcing 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 told reporters earlier that it would be 33.

According to a BBC report, three hostages would be released straight away, with the rest of the exchange taking place over six weeks.

Moreover, in the first six weeks after the agreement came into force on January 19, Israeli forces would pull out of "all" populated areas of Gaza and "the Palestinians [could] also return to their neighbourhoods in all the areas of Gaza," Biden said.

He said the ceasefire would persist "as long as the negotiations continue". There would also be a surge in humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, with hundreds of lorries allowed in each day.

According to Biden, a number of details need to be negotiated to move from the first phase to the second phase, but the plan says that if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced because of Israeli evacuation orders, Israeli strikes and fighting on the ground.

Second Phase

According to Biden, phase two of the deal would be "a permanent end to the war", and will see the release of remaining living hostages, including men, in return for more Palestinian prisoners. 

Moreover, 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 stages would begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire.

Hamas had seized 251 hostages when it attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. It is reportedly still holding 94 captives, although Israel believes that only 60 are still alive. Meanwhile, Israel is likely to release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, in return for the hostages.

Third Phase

The third and final stage of the deal would involve the reconstruction of Gaza, something which could take years, and the return of any remaining hostages' bodies.

"And finally Phase 3 -- any final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin," Biden said.

He added, "Those who have followed the negotiations can attest that the road to this deal has not been easy. I have worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations that I have ever experienced. I have reached this point because of the pressure that Israel built on Hamas, backed by the US."