Israel and Hamas agreed yesterday to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, opening a path to potentially ending the 15-month war.
The deal—facilitated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar—goes into effect Sunday, beginning in phases. An estimated 94 hostages remain in Gaza, though Israeli officials believe roughly one-third are now deceased. The first phase of the deal would see 33 women and children returned to Israel in exchange for hundreds of jailed Palestinians (see details), while Israeli forces would begin withdrawing from Gaza and aid deliveries would quickly ramp up. Subsequent stages would involve swapping male captives and soldiers and eventual plans for long-term reconstruction of the territory.
The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when a Hamas raid in southern Israel killed roughly 1,200 people and resulted in around 250 hostages. Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry (though it is unclear how many were Hamas fighters). More than 90% of the area's 2.3 million residents have been displaced.
Estimates to rebuild Gaza range as high as $80B—see a visual breakdown of the damage.
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