by Mick the Ram

Israel and Hamas are believed to have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal following a series of meetings with Qatar’s prime minister, although the office of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu are saying that the ceasefire’s final details are still being sorted.

Those details are thought to be split across three phases, although they are not as yet being published. However, early reports are indicating that 33 of the hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails during the first six weeks.

Negotiations for the second phase would hopefully see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a “sustainable calm” would then start after two weeks.

The third and final stage would involve the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies, and a long-term plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes. That said, after Israel’s destruction campaign, sadly many of those homes no longer remain.

The Israeli president, Issac Herzog, had met with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, in Jerusalem to discuss preparations for the deal with an emphasis on the “importance and sensitivity of the mission”. There was a last-minute snag over the “Philadelphi Corridor” but that appears to have been resolved.

The out-going US president Joe Biden is expected to speak to the media on Thursday 16 January regarding the breakthrough, with him understood to be looking to confirm that the ceasefire will be implemented in the coming days.

Donald Trump had threatened that there would be “all hell to pay” if a deal could not be struck before his inauguration and Republican senator, John Cornyn was quick to pass the credit onto the in-coming president.

Speaking with journalists outside of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Mr Cornyn said that the announcement of a ceasefire deal was “encouraging, but obviously we know that President Biden has not been the best negotiator when it comes to these deals.”

Then when asked about whether Mr Trump’s threats played a role, Cornyn replied: “I don’t believe in coincidences, so yes I do believe that his words have had an impact on this deal.”