Hostage deal negotiators work to close gaps as Israel prepares to vote
An agreement could spur a plan for a final end to the war, where even bigger uncertainties remain to be resolved.
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—Israel’s government was set to vote Thursday on an agreement brokered by the Trump administration that would free the remaining hostages held by Hamas and establish a cease-fire in Gaza, a diplomatic breakthrough after months of failed talks.
The hostage deal, which President Trump announced from the White House on Wednesday, promises to close a major wound opened by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel and give momentum to the effort to end a two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead and the enclave in ruins.
The administration hopes the deal will be the first step toward a longer-term settlement that will involve talks over the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an interim government to oversee Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced resistance to ending the war from far-right members of his coalition government, welcomed the deal to bring home Israeli hostages, which his government is expected to approve.
“This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the state of Israel," he said early Thursday.
The deal would go into effect once Israel’s government approves it, people familiar with the matter said.
Egyptian officials and others briefed on the deal said mediators are still hashing out the arrangements for Hamas to return the roughly 20 hostages believed to be alive in Gaza, in addition to the bodies of around 28 others. In exchange, Israel has to agree to a list of Palestinian prisoners it will set free.
Trump in an interview with Fox News said the hostage release might not happen until Monday. The president is considering a trip to the region to mark the event.
A critical task in the coming days will be getting Israel and Hamas to agree on the exact lines for Israel’s initial military withdrawal under the hostage deal. Trump’s plan called on Israeli forces to pull back to a line marked in yellow on a map. Hamas has asked for the precise demarcation of the line.
Hamas wants Israel to withdraw from around 70% of Gaza in return for the release of hostages, Arab mediators said. Israel wants to withdraw from less territory and the two sides are still negotiating this detail, according to people briefed on the negotiations.
Israel’s military said Thursday morning that it had begun to prepare for redeployment under the agreement. Live television footage from Gaza showed plumes of smoke rising over the ruins of buildings in northern Gaza, suggesting some fighting continued.
The bigger challenges will come as negotiators eventually turn to the latter phases of Trump’s 20-point proposal to end the war, secure Gaza and begin reconstruction.
The presence of significant gaps is obvious, but the Trump administration has been pushing the plan through despite the reservations and daring both sides to say no, a person briefed on the talks said.
Israel and a range of Arab and Muslim countries publicly expressed support when Trump announced his broad plan from the White House, reflecting international pressure on both Israel and Hamas to end a war that has threatened to destabilize the wider region. Regional powers including Egypt, Turkey and Qatar have pressured Hamas to accept the American plan, reflecting their leaders’ eagerness to please Trump and contain the fallout from the war.
Write to Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com, Jared Malsin at jared.malsin@wsj.com and Anat Peled at anat.peled@wsj.com
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