Israel-Hamas War Hopeful to End After Two Years
After two devastating years, the war in Gaza appears to nearly be over. President Trump announced a breakthrough ceasefire deal on Wednesday, with Israel and Hamas agreeing to exchange hostages for prisoners and begin a withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The conflict, which began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis in cold blood and saw 250 taken hostage, has exacted a sobering toll. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to their health ministry, which does not differentiate between militant and civilian deaths. Gaza's two million residents have been displaced, and most of the territory's buildings destroyed. On the Israeli side, nearly 2,000 have been killed across various fronts of the war.
Under the first phase of Trump's plan, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 more detained since October 7th. In exchange, Hamas will release the 48 remaining hostages—20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel's Cabinet approved the deal early Friday morning local time, and the ceasefire officially took effect.
The exchange of hostages and prisoners is expected to be completed by Monday. Trump is planning to travel to Israel this weekend for a formal signing in Egypt and will address the Israeli Parliament. A U.S.-led monitoring force of 200 American troops will oversee the ceasefire, though they won't enter Gaza itself.
Many thorny issues remain unresolved, including Hamas’s disarmament and Gaza’s future governance. The agreement signed by Israel and Hamas is not yet available to the public.
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