Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire after 15 months of devastating war that has reduced Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, to rubble.

The deal is expected to be implemented in three phases starting Sunday and approved by Hamas on Wednesday.

An Israeli cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday’s approval has been postponed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the “last-minute crisis.” Netanyahu’s far-right allies have refused to support the deal.

Al Jazeera’s Hamda Salhout in Amman reported that the delay indicated political conflicts within Netanyahu’s coalition government.

The three-month deal will bring a surge in humanitarian aid, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops and the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The deal, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, also discusses post-war reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave, where unrelenting Israeli bombardment since October 7, 2023 has resulted in the destruction and damage of more than 60% of buildings in the area.

January 19 (first day)

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani announced on Wednesday that the deal would come into effect on Sunday, when the first batch of Israeli prisoners is expected to be released, and gunshots were fired. will subside.

Al Jazeera’s Tariq Abu Azoum, reporting from Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, said the situation on the ground was a mixture of cautious relief, hope and lingering sadness.

“Civilians remain absolutely terrified by the growing scale of attacks in Gaza over the next 72 hours,” he said, adding that more than 30 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past day.

Abu Azum said that the agreement will allow about 600 humanitarian aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip every day. “But Israel has a long history of violating ceasefire commitments,” he said.

Aid agencies call for unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza famine may have occurred.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza reacted to news of the deal.

Ifat Calderon, a cousin of Israeli prisoner Ofer Calderon, said in Tel Aviv that she was happy but also “very anxious that this could actually happen.”

“First of all, every time I see Ofer, it’s a huge relief,” she said. “Second, every time I see the last hostages crossing the border. We’ll be protesting here every day until it happens because I don’t know if it’s going to happen.”

January 25 (Day 7)

On the seventh day, internally displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to northern Gaza, which has been under a deadly military siege since October, without weapons or checks through Rashid Street.

Cars and any non-pedestrian traffic will be allowed back north of the Nezarim corridor that divides Gaza into north and south after vehicle inspections, which will be conducted by a private company and decided by mediators in coordination with the Israeli side.

Several Palestinians told Al Jazeera they planned to return to their towns and villages at the first opportunity. More than 90% of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced due to the war.

“As soon as there is a ceasefire, I will return and kiss my land in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza,” Umm Mohamed, a 66-year-old woman who lost two of her 10 children in Israeli bombings, told Al Jazeera.

February 3 (Day 16)

No later than the 16th day after the ceasefire begins, the parties agree to start the second phase of negotiations.

February 9 (Day 22)

On Day 22, civilians will be allowed to return north from Rashid Street and Saladin Street without inspection.

March 1 (Day 42)

This marks the end of the first phase. By then, 33 Israeli prisoners were supposed to have been released in exchange for 100 Palestinian prisoners.

If things go according to plan, this is also the beginning of phase two. This includes the release of the remaining prisoners, believed to number 65. In exchange, Israel promised to withdraw its troops from Gaza and observe a permanent ceasefire. As many as 94 Israeli prisoners, dead or alive, will be released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians. Nearly 30 of the 94 prisoners are believed to have died.

Israeli forces should also begin withdrawing from the Philadelphia Corridor that separates Gaza and Egypt.

But Israel insists it will not provide any written guarantees that would rule out a resumption of hostilities. Egypt, Qatar and the United States reportedly gave Hamas verbal assurances that negotiations would continue.

March 9 (Day 50)

By then, Israel should have completed its full withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor.

April 12 (Day 84)

This is when phase three should begin. Details remain unclear. If the conditions of the second phase are met, the bodies of the remaining captives should be handed over in exchange for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan under international supervision.

There is still no agreement on who will run Gaza after the ceasefire. The United States has urged the Palestinian Authority to implement reforms to achieve this goal.