US, Qatar And Egyptian Representatives To Monitor Hamas-Israeli Armistice From Cairo

JAKARTA - Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said there would be a "follow-up mechanism" consisting of representatives from the United States, Qatar and Egypt who would head home in Cairo, responsible for monitoring the implementation of the hostage and ceasefire release agreement.

"The mechanism is expected to take effect on Sunday when the ceasefire begins," Al Thani told a news conference announcing the deal, reported by The Times of Israel January 16.

The Qatari PM also explained why this deal is believed to be successful, after the deal in November 2023 lasted only a week and failed.

He explained that the previous agreement was aimed at "building momentum to produce a long-term deal, which (is) what we currently have."

He said the November deal was "transactional" and was a daily agreement. Meanwhile, the new agreement is a more detailed three-stage agreement.

"The details of the agreement will be published in the next few days after the details are completed," added PM Al Thani.

The Prime Minister of Qatar added that the collaboration between the new and the ending US Government plays an "important role" in securing this deal.

PM Al Thani would like to thank US President Joe Biden's envoy Brett McGurk and Donald Trump's elected President Steve Witkoff for their efforts over the past week in Doha.

As previously reported, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire starting Sunday, according to mediators, including the release of hostages detained since the conflict broke out 15 months ago.

This elaborate gradual deal outlines an initial six-week ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of people have been killed, quoted by Reuters.

The hostages held by the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

If successful, the ceasefire would halt the fighting that has devastated much of Gaza's densely populated territory and displaced most of the small enclave's 2.3 million people before the war.

That is expected to ease tensions across the wider Middle East, the wargrounds have sparked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, and raised fears of an all-out war between Israel's regional arch-enemy and Iran.

The first phase of the deal includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children, and men over 50 years old. Two American hostages, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, were among those to be released in the first phase, a source said.

Negotiations to carry out the second phase of the deal will begin on the first 16th day, and this stage is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, permanent ceasefire, and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

The third stage is expected to discuss the repatriation of all the remaining bodies and the start of the reconstruction of Gaza supervised by Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

If all goes well, Palestine, Arab countries and Israel still have to agree to the vision for postwar Gaza, a tough challenge involving security guarantees for Israel and billions of dollars in investment for reconstruction.

One unanswered question is, who will lead Gaza after the war?