US-backed 60-day Gaza ceasefire envisages gradual return of hostages, official says
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive, shelter in tents, in Gaza City, May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
The U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the conflict, an official familiar with the negotiations said on Wednesday.
The plan is subject to approval by both parties involved in the conflict. U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been working to secure agreement. Here are the details as outlined by the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity:
HOSTAGES AND PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
Ten hostages will be returned along with the bodies of 18 others held hostage, according to the following schedule:
- Day 1: 8 hostages
- Day 7: 5 bodies
- Day 30: 5 bodies
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4
Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow
Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024
Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing
Sport 'Pedal to the metal' for next 2 years, says Singaporean powerlifter Farhanna Farid
Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022
Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota
Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub
- Day 50: 2 hostages
- Day 60: 8 bodies
The swaps will take place without any ceremonies or parades.
On Day 10, Hamas will provide information and evidence that confirm which remaining prisoners are alive or dead, plus medical reports. Israel will provide full information about Palestinian prisoners from Gaza detained since October 7, 2023.
Hamas will release hostages in exchange for Israel releasing detained Palestinians.
Israel says that of 50 hostages held by Hamas and its allies, about 20 are believed to be alive.
AID TO PALESTINIANS
In accordance with a January 19 agreement, aid will immediately enter Gaza in sufficient amounts with the involvement of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
ISRAELI WITHDRAWALS
On Day One, after the eight hostages are released, the Israeli army will withdraw from parts of northern Gaza as per maps that will be agreed upon.
On Day Seven, after receiving the 5 bodies, Israelis will withdraw from parts of the south as per maps agreed upon.
A technical team will work on drawing boundaries for withdrawals during rapid negotiations that will take place after agreement on the framework of the proposal.
NEGOTIATIONS ON A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE
On Day One of the agreement, negotiations will start on a permanent ceasefire with key points that include:
- Remaining prisoner exchanges
- Long-term security arrangements for Gaza
- Declaration of a permanent ceasefire
If an agreement is reached, all remaining Palestinian prisoners detained from Gaza since October 7, 2023, will be released.
GUARANTEES
The proposal guarantees U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to the agreement. If negotiations during the 60-day ceasefire are successful, they will lead to a permanent end to the conflict.
The mediators will guarantee serious negotiations take place during the pause. If more time is needed, they can extend that period. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Israeli military kills 15 in Gaza as Trump waits for Hamas response to ceasefire proposal
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox TEL AVIV/CAIRO - At least 15 Palestinians were killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to local health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Hamas to respond to his "final proposal" for a ceasefire in Gaza in the next 24 hours. Health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said the Israeli military had carried out an airstrike on a tent encampment west of the city around 2 a.m., killing 15 Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Later on Friday, Palestinians gathered to perform funeral prayers before burying those killed overnight. "The ceasefire will come, and I have lost my brother? There should have been a ceasefire long ago before I lost my brother," said 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr as she wept. Her brother, Mahmoud, was among those killed. Trump earlier said it would probably be known in 24 hours whether Hamas has accepted a ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group and Israel. On Tuesday, the president announced that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties would work towards ending the war. Hamas, which has previously declared it would only agree to a deal for a permanent end to the war, has said it was studying the proposal, but given no public indication whether it would accept or reject it. 'MAKE THE DEAL' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to comment on Trump's ceasefire announcement. While some members of his right-wing coalition oppose a deal, others have indicated their support. Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group has so far refused to discuss. In Tel Aviv, families and friends of hostages held in Gaza were among demonstrators who gathered outside a U.S. Embassy building on U.S. Independence Day, calling on Trump to secure a deal for all of the captives. Demonstrators set up a symbolic Shabbat dinner table, placing 50 empty chairs to represent those who are still held in Gaza. Banners hung nearby displaying a post by Trump from his Truth Social platform that read, "MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!" The Sabbath, or Shabbat, observed from Friday evening to Saturday nightfall, is often marked by Jewish families with a traditional Friday night dinner. "Only you can make the deal. We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal," said Gideon Rosenberg, 48, from Tel Aviv. Rosenberg was wearing a shirt with the image of hostage Avinatan Or, one of his employees who was abducted by Palestinian militants from the Nova musical festival on October 7, 2023. He is among the 20 hostages who are believed to be alive after more than 600 days of captivity. Ruby Chen, 55, the father of 19-year-old American-Israeli Itay, who is believed to have been killed after being taken captive, urged Netanyahu to return from his meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday with a deal that brings back all hostages. "Let this United States Independence Day mark the beginning of a lasting peace..., one that secures the sacred value of human life and one that bestows dignity to the deceased hostages by ensuring their return to proper burial,' he said, also appealing to Trump. Itay Chen, also a German national, was serving as an Israeli soldier when Hamas carried out its surprise attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas has devastated Gaza, which the militant group has ruled for almost two decades but now only controls in parts, displacing most of the population of more than 2 million and triggering widespread hunger. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, according to local health officials. REUTERS
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
613 killed at Gaza aid distribution sites, near humanitarian convoys, says UN
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo GENEVA - The UN human rights office said on July 4 it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups, including the UN. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel says had let militants divert aid. The United Nations has called the plan 'inherently unsafe' and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. 'We have recorded 613 killings, both at GHF points and near humanitarian convoys - this is a figure as of June 27. Since then... there have been further incidents,' Ms Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva. The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May and has repeatedly denied that incidents had occurred at its sites. Of the 613 people killed, 509 were killed near the GHF distribution points, the OHCHR said. The OHCHR said its figure is based on a range of sources, such as information from hospitals, cemeteries, families, Palestinian health authorities, NGOs, and its partners on the ground. It said it is verifying further reports and cannot yet give a breakdown of where they were killed. The GHF previously told Reuters it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians in five weeks, and said other humanitarian groups had 'nearly all of their aid looted'. Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and measures following $3b money laundering case Singapore Seller's stamp duty hike will curb short-term speculation; market effect likely minimal: Analysts Singapore Trilateral workgroup formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1; floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Think like criminals, anticipate cyber attack tactics: Experts Singapore Tourism bump from Lady Gaga concerts raked in up to estimated $150m for Singapore economy Life Book review: OB Markers sequel Ink And Influence makes catch-22 proposal for The Straits Times The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Reuters that there have been some instances of violent looting and attacks on truck drivers, which it described as unacceptable. 'Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility with regard to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies, through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs,' OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko said in a statement to Reuters. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, was not immediately available for comment. The Israeli military acknowledged on June 30 that Palestinian civilians have been harmed at aid distribution centres in Gaza, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following what it called 'lessons learned'. Israel has repeatedly said its forces operate near the centres to prevent the aid from falling into the hands of Palestinian Hamas militants. There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after a nearly two-year-old military campaign by Israel against Hamas militants in Gaza that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and displaced most of its two million inhabitants. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
613 killed at Gaza aid distribution sites, near humanitarian covoys, says UN
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo GENEVA - The U.N. human rights office said on Friday it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups including the U.N. The GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a U.N.-led system that Israel says had let militants divert aid. The United Nations has called the plan "inherently unsafe" and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. "We have recorded 613 killings, both at GHF points and near humanitarian convoys - this is a figure as of June 27. Since then ... there have been further incidents," Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva. The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May and has repeatedly denied that incidents had occurred at its sites. Of the 613 people killed, 509 were killed near the GHF distribution points, the OHCHR said. The OHCHR said its figure is based on a range of sources such as information from hospitals, cemeteries, families, Palestinian health authorities, NGOs, and its partners on the ground. It said it is verifying further reports and cannot yet give a breakdown of where they were killed. The GHF previously told Reuters it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians in five weeks, and said other humanitarian groups had "nearly all of their aid looted." Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Seller's stamp duty hike will curb short-term speculation; market effect likely minimal: Analysts Singapore NTUC says some foreigners taking on platform work illegally, calls for work group to address issue World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1; floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Sengkang murder: Man accused of killing elderly mother escorted back to crime scene Singapore Think like criminals, anticipate cyber attack tactics: Experts Singapore Tourism bump from Lady Gaga concerts raked in up to estimated $150m for Singapore economy Life Book review: OB Markers sequel Ink And Influence makes catch-22 proposal for The Straits Times The U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Reuters that there have been some instances of violent looting and attacks on truck drivers, which it described as unacceptable. "Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility with regards to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies, through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs," OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko said in a statement to Reuters. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, was not immediately available for comment. The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians have been harmed at aid distribution centres in Gaza, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following what it called "lessons learned". Israel has repeatedly said its forces operate near the centres in order to prevent the aid from falling into the hands of Palestinian Hamas militants. There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after a nearly two-year-old military campaign by Israel against Hamas militants in Gaza that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and displaced most of its two million inhabitants. REUTERS
