By Alexander Cornwell and Maayan Lubell
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel’s government approved the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal early on Friday, setting the clock ticking on the first phase of an agreement that aims to end the two-year-old war.
The agreement covers only an initial stage, including handing over hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners inside Israel, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from positions in the enclave. Plenty of pitfalls remain with negotiators yet to resolve some of the thornier issues on which previous initiatives have foundered.
Here are some of the details obtained by Reuters from the agreement as it was voted on by the Israeli government, and from Palestinian and Israeli sources:
CEASEFIRE AND WITHDRAWAL:
* The ceasefire begins once the agreement is approved by the Israeli government. This was announced in the early hours of Friday morning. The Israeli military later said the ceasefire was in effect as of noon.
* Within 24 hours, the Israeli military will withdraw to agreed-upon lines in order to minimise friction with Gaza’s civilian population. The redeployment line pulls the Israeli forces back from some of Gaza’s major urban areas but still leaves them in control of roughly half of the enclave’s territory. The military on Friday announced that troops were “adjusting operational positions” within Gaza.
HOSTAGE RELEASE
* The agreement says that within 72 hours of the military’s redeployment, all 48 hostages are to be released from the Gaza Strip and handed over to Israeli security forces.
* The 48 hostages include 20 who are known to be alive. Hamas has indicated that recovering the bodies of some dead hostages may take longer, as not all burial sites are known. Gal Hirsch, Israel’s hostage coordinator, said on Thursday that an international force would help find remains of any dead hostages that cannot be located by Hamas.
* After the hostages are released, Israel will release 250 Palestinians convicted or suspected of security crimes, as well as 1,700 adults and 22 minors detained in Gaza during the war, and the bodies of 360 fighters. Palestinians detained in Gaza will be released back to Gaza. Prisoners convicted of killing Israelis will be released to Gaza or deported abroad, and will be barred permanently from the West Bank and Israel.
AID
* Humanitarian aid will be ramped up into Gaza, and permitted to travel freely between north and south Gaza on the two main roads. Two Israeli officials said 600 trucks would soon start entering Gaza daily.
* According to an Israeli security official the trucks will carry mostly food, medical equipment, shelter equipment, fuel and cooking gas. Equipment needed to fix damaged infrastructure such as water lines, sewage and bakeries will also be allowed in.
* Gaza residents will be allowed to leave Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah crossing in coordination with Egypt, subject to Israeli approval and under supervision of an EU delegation, according to the security official. Gaza residents will also be allowed back into the enclave through Rafah subject to Israeli approval and after a mechanism is agreed between Israel and Egypt.
(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo; Writing by Maayan Lubell)
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