What happens next in Gaza ceasefire plan after hostage release?

The leaders of Egypt, Turkey and Qatar joined US President Donald Trump in signing a pledge to implement his plan to end the two-year-old war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This came at the end of a day that witnessed Hamas handing over all twenty live hostages it was holding in Gaza in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli prisons.

Hamas also handed over the bodies of the four deceased hostages. Israel says the remains of 24 others remain in Gaza and must be returned without delay under the ceasefire agreement.

The first phase of Trump’s plan saw a ceasefire go into effect at 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on October 10 and increased amounts of humanitarian aid entering the Strip.

Israeli forces also withdrew to a line that left them in control of 53% of the Gaza Strip, the first of three phases of Israeli withdrawal, according to Trump’s plan.

Here’s what we know.

Two elements of the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan remain incomplete: unrestricted entry of aid into Gaza, including the reopening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, and the handover of all deceased hostages.

Israel said it received the remains of four hostages on October 13. However, it said there were another 24 bodies still in Gaza and that the deadline for their return had expired at 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) the same day.

An Israeli official said, “We call on Hamas to abide by its part of the agreement,” adding that the Israeli army “will not rest until everyone returns to their families and is buried in Israel.”

A copy of the ceasefire agreement published by Israeli media last week appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all the bodies within this time frame.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official said an international task force will begin work to locate the remains of anyone who has not been returned.

Once an agreement is reached on the completion of the first phase, negotiations on the second phase will begin.

The 20 point plan, which You can read in full hereHe says that if both sides agree to this, the war “will end immediately.”

A multinational force of about 200 soldiers overseen by the US military will monitor the ceasefire, according to a senior US official, who added that there will be no US troops on the ground in Gaza.

It also says Gaza will initially be governed by a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats — overseen by a “peace council” headed by Trump.

Governance of the Strip will eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority – which administers the West Bank – once it undergoes reforms.

According to the plan, Hamas – which took control of Gaza in 2007 after expelling its rivals, a year after it won the legislative elections – will not play any future role in its rule, directly or indirectly.

The plan says Gaza will be demilitarized and all “military, terrorist and offensive infrastructure” will be destroyed.

There will likely be multiple points of contention during negotiations over the later stages of the deal.

Hamas previously refused to lay down its weapons, saying it would not do so until a Palestinian state was established.

The group also did not mention disarmament in its initial response to Trump’s plan, raising speculation that its position had not changed.

Although Israel approved Trump’s plan in full, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to oppose the Palestinian Authority’s involvement in post-war Gaza, even as he stood on stage next to its president.

Hamas also said it expected to have some role in the future in Gaza as part of a “unified Palestinian movement.”

Another sticking point is the extent of the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel says its first withdrawal will see it retain control of about 53% of the Gaza Strip. The White House plan indicates further withdrawals to about 40% and then 15%.

This final phase will be a “security perimeter” that “will remain in place until Gaza is adequately secure from any renewed terrorist threat.”

The wording here is vague and does not provide a clear timetable for full Israeli withdrawal, something Hamas would likely want to clarify.

Says the ceasefire agreement Hamas must release all 48 Israeli and foreign hostages He is still in Gaza after two years of war.

All but one of them were among 251 people kidnapped during the Palestinian movement’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed. Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 67,800 people were killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave.

On October 13, Hamas handed over 20 hostages alive in two groups to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Israeli authorities said that the first group included Eitan Mor, Galli Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa Dalal, and Matan Angrist.

The second group consists of Bar Cooperstein, Eviatar David, Yosef Haim Ohana, Segev Kalvon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zanjoker, David Cuneo, Eitan Horn, Rom Praslabski and Ariel Cuneo.

Hamas said the bodies of four people were returned to Israel on October 13: Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bibin Joshi, and Daniel Peretz.

The Israeli army said on Tuesday that it had confirmed the identity of the four hostages and identified two of them as Guy Illouz and Bipin Joshi.

In exchange for the release of the hostages, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

The list of prisoners published by the Hamas-run Prisoners’ Information Office did not include prominent figures serving multiple life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis – including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat – whose release Hamas has demanded.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said that 88 prisoners were released in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and eight in Gaza, and 154 prisoners were deported to an unspecified destination.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it facilitated the return of 1,809 Palestinian detainees to Gaza and the West Bank on October 13.