(Reuters) – Here are the main elements of a Gaza cease-fire agreement that took effect on Sunday after a 15-month conflict that has killed thousands of Palestinians and heated up the Middle East.

The start of the ceasefire was delayed for almost three hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Hamas to provide a list of hostages to be released during the day. An Israeli official said later that Israel had received the list.

Details of the agreement have not been made public by the mediators, Israel or Hamas. Officials briefed on the deal provided the following elements:

* The six-week initial phase of the ceasefire includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.

* The deal calls for 600 trucks full of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza each day of the ceasefire, 50 of which carry fuel, with 300 of the trucks allocated to the north, where conditions for civilians are particularly dire. you are difficult.

* Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. Hamas will release female hostages and under 19 years old first, followed by men over 50. Three female hostages are expected to be released by the Red Cross on Sunday after 1400 GMT, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said.

* Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier released by Hamas.

* Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas will inform the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where the meeting point is inside Gaza and the ICRC is expected to begin driving to that area to collect the hostages.

* Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained since October 7, 2023 at the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on the hostages released, and will be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees including men, women and children.

* Hamas will release the hostages over a six-week period, with at least three hostages released each week and the remaining 33 before the end of the period. All the living captives are released first, followed by the corpses of the captives.

* The implementation of the agreement is guaranteed by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

* Negotiations on the second phase of the agreement will begin on the 16th day of the first phase and are expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.

* The third phase is expected to include the return of all the remaining dead bodies and the start of reconstruction in Gaza, which is managed by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations