• Exchange of prisoners, hostages will start in 72 hours following signing of deal, local media reports

• Israeli army to begin withdrawal from Gaza following government’s approval, Israel’s Foreign Ministry says

ISTANBUL

The Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas will be officially signed in a ceremony at noon local time (0900GMT) in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on Thursday, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli Channel 14 said that an official signing ceremony will take place, and the process of exchange of prisoners between the two sides will start in 72 hours following the ceremony.

Some media outlets said that the ceasefire will immediately start after the official signing ceremony, while other sources reported that it will start within 72 hours following the official signing ceremony.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said through the US social media company X that the Security Cabinet is scheduled to meet at 3 pm (1200GMT) to approve “the release of Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for the release of living hostages within the framework of the first phase of the plan.”

Following the Cabinet meeting, the government will have a meeting, the ministry said.

"At this stage, the government will not ratify the rest of the terms of the deal,” it added.

"After the government's approval, the Israeli army will begin to withdraw to the line agreed upon with Hamas within the plan, and the withdrawal process will be completed within 24 hours,” the ministry said.

The Israeli army will withdraw from Gaza City, while continuing to control 53% of Gaza, according to the statement.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that 20 living hostages are expected to be released in one single phase. Hamas said that the location of nine bodies out of 28 remains unknown.

US President Donald Trump told families of Israeli hostages on Thursday that all Israeli hostages will be released on Oct. 13, while he has not made it clear if the release process would include the bodies of the deceased hostages.

Israeli Channel 12, citing sources informed with the details, said that the hostages will be handed over in 72 hours after the Israeli Cabinet approves the agreement.

Under the deal, 600 aid trucks will enter the Gaza Strip daily, it added.

The Times of Israel, citing Hamas sources, reported that nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 with life sentences and 1,700 detained since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, will be released in exchange for 20 living hostages. The releases will be completed in the first 72 hours following the start of the implementation of the deal.

Under the agreement, the Israeli forces will withdraw from the Gaza Strip in scheduled phases, and the patients and injured Palestinians will be transferred to Egypt for medical treatment. Additionally, an immediate return of displaced Palestinians from southern Gaza to the north is also guaranteed in the deal, the daily added.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.