What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal?

By: Raffi Berg, BBC News
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been under way since January, but its future is uncertain.
The deal involves exchanging hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in stages, and aims to end the war. But the process has now reached an impasse, raising fears of a return to fighting.
The war was triggered when Hamas attacked on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel responded with triggered a massive Israeli military offensive, which has killed more than 48,300 Palestinians, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
How does the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas work?
The ceasefire was announced on 15 January and began four days later, after months of negotiations led by the US, Qatar and Egypt. It is based on a proposal set out by former US President Joe Biden in May 2024. The deal involves three stages:
Stage one
This officially lasted for 42 days, during which:
Hamas released 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages
Israel released about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza
Israeli forces left populated areas of Gaza
Displaced Palestinians returned to their neighborhoods
Hundreds of aid lorries were allowed into Gaza each day
Israeli troops remained in Gaza’s border areas, including the southern Philadelphia Corridor, and left the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone cutting off the north of Gaza from the south
Stage two
Negotiations on the second stage were meant to begin 16 days after the start of stage one – but this did not happen. Like stage one, stage two is also meant to be completed within 42 days.
According to the ceasefire deal, under stage two:
A permanent ceasefire will be established
Remaining living hostages in Gaza will be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners
Israeli forces will make a complete withdrawal
Stage three
The final part of the agreement would see:
The return of all remaining bodies of dead hostages
The reconstruction of Gaza, which is expected to take years
Is the ceasefire in crisis?
Since 1 March, when stage one expired, the ceasefire has been in limbo. Stage two has not begun, and both sides are digging their heels in.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 2 March that Israel had accepted a plan by US envoy Steve Witkoff “to extend the temporary ceasefire by 50 days” to discuss the second stage.
Netanyahu said that under the plan, half the remaining hostages would be released straight away, and the remainder released if an agreement was reached. Witkoff himself has not commented.
Netanyahu said Israel would stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza because Hamas had rejected the new proposal, warning: “There will be no free lunches.”
He also claimed Hamas had been stealing the aid – something the group has previously denied – and using it “to finance its terror machine” against Israel.
The prime minister vowed to take additional, unspecified, steps, if Hamas stuck to its position and did not release the hostages.
Hamas said it rejected Israel’s attempt to extend the first stage, calling it “a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for the second phase”.
It is unclear how the gap between the two sides can be bridged – and if not, where that might lead…Source: bbc.com/news