In January 2025, Israel and Hamas entered a temporary three-phase ceasefire brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. The deal, announced on January 15, 2025, aimed to end over 15 months of conflict through a structured exchange of hostages and prisoners alongside humanitarian relief.
A rare bipartisan push from the Biden and Trump teams from 2024 to early 2025, alongside Egyptian and Qatari mediators, pressured Israel and Hamas into a phased exchange deal to free hostages.
The agreement used the term “sustainable calm” to bridge the gap between Israel’s refusal to end the war and Hamas’s demand for a permanent ceasefire.
The ceasefire, a hostages-and-prisoners exchange and armistice between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip, officially began on January 19, 2025.
Original three-phase plan
Each phase will last 42 days. During Phase 1, Hamas was to release 33 Israeli hostages including women, female soldiers, the elderly, and the wounded in exchange for roughly 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces were required to withdraw from densely populated areas and key corridors(like Netzarim to allow civilians to return to northern Gaza. The aid was to surge to 600 trucks per day, including fuel for hospitals, bakeries, and water systems. Discussions for a “sustainable calm” were to begin on the 16th day of this phase.
During Phase 2, Hamas would release all remaining living male hostages, including soldiers, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners. Israel was to commit to a complete withdrawal of its military from the entire Gaza Strip. This phase aimed to transition the temporary pause into a permanent cessation of hostilities.
During the final phase 3, the final stage involved the exchange of deceased bodies and remains from both sides. A comprehensive reconstruction plan spanning three to five years would commence under international supervision (Egypt, Qatar, and the UN). The final step included lifting the long-term blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Hostages freed, prisoners released
Between January 19 and late February 2025, Hamas released 33 hostages (including 25 living and 8 deceased) in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Major emotional milestones occurred with the release of American-Israeli Keith Siegel (February 1) and the return of the Bibas family’s remains (February 20–21), which sparked national mourning in Israel and Argentina.
The exchanges were often tense; Israel delayed releases on February 22, citing “degrading” Hamas propaganda ceremonies during the handover of hostages.
Humanitarian access initially improved, with up to 600 trucks per day entering Gaza. Hospitals were rehabilitated and child immunization campaigns reached thousands of children.
Israel withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor on February 9, allowing many displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, though it maintained control of the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egyptian border.
Gazans killed, Israeli reservists dead
Despite the truce, at least 170 Gazans were killed in smaller-scale Israeli operations, while Hamas militants killed two Israeli reservists at a checkpoint on February 4.
By March 2, after Hamas rejected a US proposal to extend the first phase, Israel ceased the entry of aid and later cut electricity on March 9, effectively signaling the end of the humanitarian respite.
Ceasefire collapses
The ceasefire collapsed on March 18, 2025, primarily because of a fundamental disagreement over transitioning to the second phase of the deal. Israel and the US proposed a new “Witkoff Plan” that demanded more hostage releases to extend the current pause, which Hamas rejected, insisting instead on the original terms for a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal.
Prime Minister Netanyahu faced threats from far-right coalition members who opposed a permanent end to the war, leading him to resume military operations to maintain his government. Citing Hamas’s “refusal” to release more hostages and allegations of rearming, Israel launched surprise airstrikes across Gaza, officially declaring a return to full-scale combat.
