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1 1 (January 17, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govesdc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire in Gaza January 17, 2025 After 15 months of war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO) have agreed to begin the first phase ofa hostage-prisoner exchange and possible three-phase cease- fire. It will likely start on January 19, 2025, with Israel's cabinet set to vote on the agreement before then. A lasting end of hostilities may depend partly on the extent to which the parties implement the terms (discussed below) for the first stage, which is scheduled to last for six weeks, as well as additional indirect Israel-Hamas talks. One member of Israel's ruling coalition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has pledged to leave the government, without seeking to bring it down. Another, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, reportedly has agreed to stay in the coalition, possibly in exchange for assurances from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume the war at some point. U.S. leaders from the Biden Administration and the incoming Administration worked with Egyptian and Qatari counterparts to mediate the deal, based on a framework announced by President Joe Biden in May 2024, and welcomed in June by the UN Security Council. As the parties engaged in indirect on-and-off talks over the ensuing months, Israeli military operations continued to degrade Hamas's leadership and military capacity, while also striking major blows against Hamas supporters Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah (another FTO). In November, Hezbollah agreed to a separate cease-fire with Israel after dropping its previous insistence that Israel first end fighting in Gaza. As conflict wore on there, and damage to buildings and infrastructure worsened, about 90% of Gaza's some 2.1 million residents faced displacement. Most confront unsanitary, overcrowded conditions alongside acute food insecurity and shortages of water, medical care, and other essential supplies and services. Israeli airstrikes and Hamas guerrilla activity and rocket fire have persisted in the run-up to the deal's effective date. Key Terms and Outlook According to President Biden, a reputed text of the deal, and other sources, the parties have agreed to the following during the initial six-week stage: * The return of 33 hostages to Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom might live outside of the West Bank and Gaza upon release. Reportedly, Israel estimates that most of these hostages are alive. They include women, children, the infirm, and men over 50, as well as two Israelis captured before October 7. Two ofthe three U.S. citizens likely still alive are apparently part of the group. Palestinians who Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12487 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress