the framework agreed by Israel and Hamas –

A step change in Middle East talks? A senior U.S. official told Washington Post reporter David Ignatius that “the framework is agreed upon” on a ceasefire plan in Gaza and that the sides are now “negotiating the details of how it will be implemented,” a process that might take time. The agreement, described by U.S. officials, calls for a three-phase resolution of the conflict.

Israel and Hamas have both agreed to an “interim governance” plan, which would begin with Phase 2, in which neither Hamas nor Israel would govern Gaza. Security would be provided by a U.S.-trained force backed by moderate Arab allies, drawn from a group of regarding 2,500 Palestinian Authority supporters in Gaza who have already been vetted by Israel. Hamas has told mediators it is “prepared to cede authority to the interim governance agreement,” a U.S. official said.

The first phase would be a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas would release 33 Israeli hostages, including all female prisoners, all men over 50, and all wounded. Israel would release hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons and withdraw its troops from densely populated areas toward Gaza’s eastern border. Humanitarian aid would flow in, hospitals would be repaired, and teams would begin clearing rubble. The peace plan also calls for a third phase, with what the UN resolution describes as a “multi-year reconstruction plan.”