Overview

• The signed first-phase accord provides for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel freeing about 250 prisoners serving life terms and roughly 1,700 detained after October 7, plus an IDF pullback to an agreed line and scaled humanitarian access.
• Israeli officials say around 48 hostages remain in Gaza and about 20 are believed alive, with questions persisting over the identification and recovery of some deceased captives’ remains.
• Implementation hinges on Israeli cabinet approval, which would trigger a 72-hour window for transfers; officials and media offered differing timelines pointing to releases between Saturday and Tuesday.
• Aid agencies and the UN say stocks are prepositioned for large-scale deliveries, with plans for up to about 400 trucks a day once the crossings reopen, even as reports noted continued strikes after the announcement.
• The deal covers only the opening phase, leaving core second-stage issues—Hamas disarmament, Gaza’s future governance and international security arrangements—unresolved, and facing resistance from hardline Israeli ministers.