What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal
Reuters/Israel Defense ForcesA ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been under way since January, but its future is uncertain.
The deal involves exchanging hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in stages, and aims to end the war.
But the process has now reached an impasse, raising fears of a return to fighting.
The war was triggered when Hamas attacked on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel responded with triggered a massive Israeli military offensive, which has killed more than 48,300 Palestinians, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says.
How does the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas work?
The ceasefire was announced on 15 January and began four days later, after months of negotiations led by the US, Qatar and Egypt. It is based on a proposal set out by former US President Joe Biden in May 2024. The deal involves three stages:
Stage one
This officially lasted for 42 days, during which:
- Hamas released 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages
- Israel released about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza
- Israeli forces left populated areas of Gaza
- Displaced Palestinians returned to their neighbourhoods
- Hundreds of aid lorries were allowed into Gaza each day
- Israeli troops remained in Gaza's border areas, including the southern Philadelphi Corridor, and left the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone cutting off the north of Gaza from the south
Stage two
Negotiations on the second stage were meant to begin 16 days after the start of stage one - but this did not happen. Like stage one, stage two is also meant to be completed within 42 days.
According to the ceasefire deal, under stage two:
- A permanent ceasefire will be established
- Remaining living hostages in Gaza will be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners
- Israeli forces will make a complete withdrawal
Stage three
The final part of the agreement would see:
- The return of all remaining bodies of dead hostages
- The reconstruction of Gaza, which is expected to take years
Is the ceasefire in crisis?
Since 1 March, when stage one expired, the ceasefire has been in limbo. Stage two has not begun, and both sides are digging their heels in.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 2 March that Israel had accepted a plan by US envoy Steve Witkoff "to extend the temporary ceasefire by 50 days" to discuss the second stage.
Netanyahu said that under the plan, half the remaining hostages would be released straight away, and the remainder released if an agreement was reached. Witkoff himself has not commented.
Netanyahu said Israel would stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza because Hamas had rejected the new proposal, warning: "There will be no free lunches."
He also claimed Hamas had been stealing the aid - something the group has previously denied - and using it "to finance its terror machine" against Israel.
The prime minister vowed to take additional, unspecified, steps, if Hamas stuck to its position and did not release the hostages.
Hamas said it rejected Israel's attempt to extend the first stage, calling it "a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for the second phase".
It is unclear how the gap between the two sides can be bridged - and if not, where that might lead.
How have hostages held by Hamas been released?
Israel says 59 hostages are still being held in Gaza, up to 24 of whom are believed to be alive and at least 35 are presumed dead.
The 33 Israeli hostages released under the deal have included female Israeli soldiers, male and female Israeli civilians, and two children. Five living Thai hostages were also freed outside of the deal.
The living hostages were released by Hamas in stage-managed events in different locations in Gaza, where they were handed over to the Red Cross.
The Red Cross then transferred them to Israeli forces inside Gaza, before they were driven across the border into Israel and reunited with their families. The freed hostages were then flown to hospitals for medical checks.
The bodies of four hostages were also handed over in a spectacle condemned by Israel and others.
Who are the Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel?
Around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza were released in the first phase of the deal.
Many of those released in the first exchange, and some in the following three exchanges, had never been charged and were detained without trial in Israeli prisons under what is called "administrative detention", a process widely criticised by human rights groups.
Others had been found guilty of serious crimes, including being convicted by Israeli courts of multiple murders. Dozens had been serving life sentences.
The released prisoners have returned to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and in some cases, Gaza. Dozens were deported abroad due to the gravity of their crimes.
Israel has insisted that no-one who was involved in the 7 October attacks will be freed.
ReutersThe prisoners are among more than 10,000 Palestinians held by Israel (not including detainees from Gaza held by the Israeli military) who have either been convicted, or are suspected of "security" offences.
These range from bombings and other attacks, to belonging to banned armed groups.
More than 3,000 people are reported to be held under administrative detention.
How has aid been delivered to Gaza?
Israel says 4,200 lorries carrying aid have entered Gaza each week since the ceasefire was agreed in mid-January.
Half of the supplies were destined for the north of Gaza, where aid had been hardest to deliver and food security experts had been warning of imminent famine.
But from 2 March, Israel stopped supplies being allowed in to the territory.
Arab states and the UN condemned Israel's actions as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and against international law.
Aid agencies have managed to store supplies, which means there is no immediate danger to the civilian population. But the longer the ban lasts, the greater the pressure on making supplies last.
Gaza is home to an estimated 2.1 million Palestinians, almost all of whom had to leave their homes as Israel carried out continuous strikes across the territory and issued mass evacuation orders for large residential areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have returned home, but in many cases there is nothing to go back to, with whole streets and neighbourhoods standing in ruin.
Some 60% to 70% of buildings are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed.
The process is also fraught with danger, with Israeli and Hamas forces at tense standoff, risks of unexploded ordnance, and warnings from the Israeli military to civilians to stay clear of military positions.
Rebuilding Gaza will be a monumental task. Halfway through the war, the UN estimated that at that point reconstruction could cost $40bn (£33bn). It is something which is likely to take years, if not decades.
The human cost of the conflict will also be felt for many years to come, with tens of thousands wounded and left with complex psychological damage.