(14 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 14 January 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Federman, The Associated Press: ++PARTLY OVERLAID WITH SHOTS 2 TO 7++
"Israel and Hamas appear to be on the cusp of a ceasefire deal that would end over 15 months of war. Hamas officials say they’ve accepted a draft of the proposal. The Israelis say there still is no deal, but they are also voicing optimism as final details are being worked out. Qatar, the Mideast country that’s been mediating the talks, say the sides have not been this close to an agreement in months. The proposal lays out a multi-stage process for ending a war that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, 1,600 Israelis, and also caused widespread devastation in Gaza. The first stage calls for a gradual pullback of Israeli troops from most of Gaza over six weeks in exchange for the freedom of 33 hostages held by Hamas. Displaced Palestinians would also begin to go home and aid would pour into Gaza. The sides also would quickly enter negotiations on a second phase meant to end the war altogether. That would mean a final pullout of remaining Israeli troops and the return of roughly 70 other hostages. Now, it remains unclear who will run Gaza in the long run and who is going to pay for the badly needed reconstruction. But negotiators are hoping that this initial ceasefire, this initial phase, will create the momentum to address these deeper issues."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Doha, Qatar – 14 January 2025
2. Various of Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majid al-Ansari arriving at news conference and speaking to reporters
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip – 14 January 2025
3. Wide of people inspecting the rubble
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 14 January 2025
4. Protesters calling for the release of hostages
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Salah Al-Deen Street, Gaza Strip – 17 November 2024
5. People fleeing with their belongings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Kerem Shalom, Gaza Strip – 19 December 2024
6. Soldier walking near aid trucks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip – 14 January 2025
7. Various of destroyed buildings hit by Israeli airstrike
STORYLINE:
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, officials involved in the talks said Tuesday.
An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. The three-phase plan would need to be submitted to the Israeli Cabinet for final approval.
In a briefing on Tuesday, mediator Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the "final stages" of sealing a deal.
With Israel and Hamas at the closest point yet to a ceasefire, AP explains what such a deal may entail.
"The first stage calls for a gradual pullback of Israeli troops from most of Gaza over six weeks in exchange for the freedom of 33 hostages held by Hamas. Displaced Palestinians would also begin to go home and aid would pour into Gaza," says Associated Press News Director for Israel and the Palestinian Territories Joe Federman.
"The sides also would quickly enter negotiations on a second phase meant to end the war altogether. That would mean a final pullout of remaining Israeli troops and the return of roughly 70 other hostages," Federman continues.
The details of the second phase remain difficult to resolve — and the deal does not include written guarantees that the ceasefire will continue until a deal is reached.
Some 100 people are still captive inside Gaza, and the military believes at least a third them are dead.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b18dd0ecfdc647a39176796b10eb3b7b
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in January 19, 2025, 6:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
