The parties agreed to a six-week initial ceasefire phase that includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.

Should everything proceed according to plan, subsequent negotiations would assure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and the reconstruction of Gaza in the deal’s second and third stages. Given the precarious nature of the deal’s phased structure,