Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal: Why now and what next?
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Asher Kaufman, University of Notre Dame
(THE CONVERSATION) A much-anticipated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is expected to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025 – subject to a delayed Israeli government vote on the package originally scheduled for the morning of Jan. 16.
The breakthrough comes 15 months into the bloody conflict sparked by an Oct. 7 2023, attack by Hamas gunmen in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 hostages taken. In the subsequent bombing and siege of the Gaza Strip, some 45,000 Palestinians have been killed.
But why has the breakthrough happened now, and what does this mean for the long-term prospects of a more permanent peace? The Conversation turned to Asher Kaufman, an expert on Israeli history and professor of peace studies at University of Notre Dame, for answers.
What is the main content of the deal?
Not all the details have been ironed out or released. But what we do know is this:
The deal is divided into three stages. In the first stage, 33 women, children and men who are sick or over...