Hamas has reportedly agreed to a draft ceasefire agreement According to the Associated Press, “officials involved in the negotiations” said talks with Israel would include the release of dozens of hostages. The potential deal is the first sign in months that the war between Israel and Hamas, which has raged for more than a year, may be coming to an end.

possible agreement According to reports, it will be carried out in three phases, the first of which will initiate a 42-day ceasefire. During this period, 33 hostages including children, women, female soldiers, men over 50 years old and humanitarian cases will be released. In exchange, Hamas will take in hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile detainees. “Most” of the 33 hostages kidnapped from Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, are still alive, according to Israeli government officials.

When it comes to hostage exchanges for prisoners, Israeli government officials pointed out that there is a “price” for allowing terrorist groups to release hostages. However, the source vowed that Israel “will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages have returned home.”

People inspect ruins and rubble at the site of an Israeli bombardment of a residential area on Jarrah Street in Gaza City, January 14, 2025, during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territories.

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As part of the first phase of the deal, Israel will begin withdrawing troops from parts of northern Gaza and allow Palestinians to return to their homes. However, security experts warn that this could allow Hamas to rebuild itself.

Additionally, during the first phase of the agreement, humanitarian aid will be delivered to Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with IDF commanders in Gaza’s Nezarim Corridor on November 19, 2024, to discuss Hamas activities. (Photo courtesy of TPS)

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Details of Phase 2 are expected to be negotiated during Phase 1. However, a draft agreement cited by the AP suggests that at this stage, Hamas will release the remaining living hostages in exchange for a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza. An Egyptian official reportedly told The Associated Press that a deal for phases two and three would be reached before the end of phase one.

“This is the only time we’ve had real negotiations with Hamas since November 2023, and they’re not playing games in the negotiations,” an Israeli government official told Fox News.

The official cited multiple incidents such as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and domestic pressure against terrorist groups are critical turning points in creating the right “conditions” for a deal.

Israeli soldiers remove the bodies of civilians killed days earlier when Palestinian terrorists attacked a kibbutz near the Gaza border in Kfar Aza, Israel, on October 10, 2023. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

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Qatari and Israeli officials interviewed by Fox News expressed optimism about a potential deal that could end the war.

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Thousands have been killed in the 15-month war, which began after a brutal attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed, More than 250 people were taken hostage.

Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.