Hamas said on Wednesday it had agreed with Israel on a four-day ceasefire that includes the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and allows humanitarian aid and fuel to enter the besieged enclave.
Hamas said in a statement that it would release 50 women and children – of around 240 hostages captured by the militants in the October 7 attack on Israel – in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children.
The deal, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, will allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies to enter Gaza, the group said. According to Hamas, all Israeli air activity in southern Gaza will be suspended for four days, while air traffic in the north, the initial focus of Israel’s ground attack, will be halted from 10am to 4pm local time.
“As we announce the signing of a ceasefire agreement, we affirm that our fingers remain on the trigger and that our victorious fighters will remain vigilant to defend our people and defeat the occupation,” Hamas said.
A Qatari mediator said the country hoped the deal would lead to a permanent ceasefire.
Israel, in a separate statement confirming the deal, said the pause in fighting would be extended by an additional day for every 10 additional hostages released. Hamas did not mention any such agreement.
“The Government of Israel is committed to bringing home all hostages. It has approved the proposed agreement as a first step towards achieving this goal,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
According to Gaza authorities, Israeli bombing has leveled areas of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, killed 13,300 people in the small, densely populated enclave and left about two-thirds of its 2.3 million residents homeless.
Source: Terra
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