Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
After months of stalled diplomacy and intensifying violence, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is beginning to take shape on the ground, with Israeli forces set to withdraw from parts of the Gaza Strip and the Rafah border crossing expected to reopen within the next 72 hours.
According to diplomatic and security sources familiar with the agreement, Israel will begin withdrawing its forces from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing as early as Thursday evening. The move marks the first tangible implementation of a phased ceasefire deal that aims to bring an end to the two-year-long conflict that has devastated Gaza and destabilized the region.
Preparations are already underway to bring in heavy equipment and humanitarian teams to clear rubble and recover the remains of Israeli hostages believed to have died in captivity. The retrieval effort will coincide with the reopening of the Rafah crossing, a vital humanitarian lifeline that has remained closed for months due to ongoing hostilities.
The ceasefire, which officially went into effect on Thursday, was confirmed by multiple sources just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a breakthrough had been achieved between the warring parties. Trump, whose administration spearheaded the negotiations, hailed the deal as a historic milestone.
“This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace,” Trump said in a social media post. He praised mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their roles in facilitating the agreement and emphasized that “all parties will be treated fairly.”
Cabinet Approval Expected, Hostage Release Imminent
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene his cabinet at 5 p.m. local time on Thursday to approve the ceasefire deal, following days of intense negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Israeli and Hamas representatives reportedly finalized the terms of the agreement based on a 20-point proposal first presented by the White House last month.
Pending cabinet and full government ratification anticipated within hours of the meeting, the first phase of the ceasefire will begin in earnest. A senior Israeli official confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will have 24 hours to pull back to a designated “yellow line” in Gaza, referencing a map shared by U.S. officials outlining several withdrawal phases. The exact coordinates of the line remain confidential but are believed to represent a significant step back from current IDF positions.
The same Israeli official noted that a 72-hour window for the release of hostages held by Hamas will commence immediately after the deal is ratified. According to current estimates, 20 hostages thought to be alive are expected to be released en masse on Sunday or Monday. The exchange will involve the release of an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners potentially as many as 2,000 from Israeli jails.
Uncertainty Over Rafah Control
One unresolved issue is the future management of the Rafah crossing, which sits on the border between Gaza and Egypt and serves as a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and civilian movement. Discussions are ongoing to determine which party will oversee its operations on the Palestinian side, amid broader efforts to ensure secure and coordinated logistics. Egypt has signaled willingness to help facilitate interim arrangements, but long-term control remains politically sensitive.
Fighting Continues Despite Deal
Despite the announcement of the ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling continued across parts of Gaza on Thursday, as negotiators finalized last-minute technicalities of the deal. Palestinian health officials reported new casualties, underscoring the fragile nature of the agreement and the deep mistrust that lingers on both sides.
The war, which erupted following Hamas’ surprise assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, has left much of Gaza in ruins. Over two years of intense Israeli military operations have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed vital infrastructure, and triggered repeated humanitarian crises.
International pressure has mounted for a resolution to the conflict, with key Arab and Muslim-majority countries throwing their support behind the White House plan. In coordinated statements, leaders from Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan called on Hamas to fully comply with the terms of the ceasefire and urged Israel to act proportionately in implementing the agreement.
Looking Ahead
While the current ceasefire represents only the first phase of a broader peace initiative, it has been welcomed cautiously by both regional stakeholders and the international community. Much remains to be resolved including long-term governance of Gaza, disarmament, and reconstruction but the reopening of the Rafah crossing and the planned hostage exchange signal a potential turning point.
Whether this agreement can hold, and whether it will indeed pave the way for what Trump described as a “durable and everlasting peace,” remains to be seen. But for a region long scarred by war, the prospect of even a temporary halt to the violence offers a glimmer of hope.
