Bombshell ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israeli to see dozens of hostages released

A tentative ceasefire deal hatched between Israel and Hamas is set to see dozens of hostages freed after 15 months in captivity in Gaza.

Terrorist group Hamas looks set to release dozens of Israeli hostages taken captive some 15 months ago and held in Gaza, as part of a groundbreaking but tentative ceasefire agreement.

American news outlet CNN reports that 33 hostages will be handed over, while the BBC had previously put the figure at 34 and said it had been provided with a draft list of names.

“The ages of those on the list range from just one year old to 86,” the BBC reports.

“It also includes children who Hamas previously said had been killed in an Israeli air strike. A number of hostages who Hamas says are sick are also on the list.”

Among those on the list are brothers – one almost two and the other five – who were snatched alongside their parents.

Yarden and Shiri Bibas with their sons Ariel, now five, and Kfir, almost two.

A woman walks by a wall in Tel Aviv covered with photos of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Picture: Getty

The Israeli government believes most of those hostages are alive, CNN reported, citing an unnamed senior official, but bodies of the deceased are likely to also be handed over.

White House officials yesterday told CNN a deal was “now in sight” amid negotiations taking place in Qatar and could be announced in coming days.

“Now the final draft is being discussed by both parties, and each party is informing the mediators of its position,” a Hamas figure told the cable news channel.

Another told CNN: “All the big blocks [of the deal] have been resolved.”

The news came as US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer revealed “significant progress” had been made on a multi-part ceasefire.

CNN reports that phase one would run for 42 days and include Israeli Defence Force troops maintaining a presence in the Philadelphi Corridor running along Gaza’s border with Egypt, as well as a buffer zone between Israeli and Gaza.

“The residents of northern Gaza would be allowed to return freely to the north of the strip, but an Israeli official claimed there would be unspecified ‘security arrangements’ in place,” the outlet reports.

Officials have told multiple media outlets that there’s optimism a deal will be struck within days. Picture: Getty

A billboard calling for an end of the war between Israel and Hamas along with a portrait of US President-elect Donald Trump stands on top of a building in Jerusalem. Picture: AFP

Talks on phase two of the ceasefire would begin about two weeks into the first stage, with the intention it would bring an end to the long and bloody conflict.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters at the weekend that the release of hostages must be part of the deal.

When it attacked Israeli on October 7 in 2023, Hamas abducted 251 people and smuggled them to Gaza. In November in 2023, 105 hostages were released in exchange for Israel handing over 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Since then, another 50 have been released, rescued by Israeli forces, or found dead.

An Israeli soldier looks at a memorial wall for civilians and soldiers who have been killed since the deadly Hamas attacks. Picture: Getty

About 1200 Israelis were killed in the co-ordinated attacks.

According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Authority, an estimated 46,000 Palestinians have been killed and another 110,000 wounded since Israeli began its offensive on Gaza.

Right wing Israelis hold images of fallen soldiers during a march in Jerusalem rejecting a potential deal with Hamas. Picture: AFP

The proposed deal hasn’t found unanimous support in Israeli, with 10 members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party releasing an open letter criticising parts of the arrangement.

That group said all hostages should be released and Palestinians should be barred from returning to northern Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel’s far right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the ceasefire would be a “catastrophe” for national security, dubbing it a “surrender”.

Conservative Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem overnight to protest the ceasefire, holding placards bearing the faces of fallen soldiers.

Originally published as Bombshell ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israeli to see dozens of hostages released