DOHA, Nov 22- Qatari foreign ministry said on Wednesday Hamas and Israel have agreed on a humanitarian pause in Gaza hostilities for four days, subject to extension, the starting time of the which will be announced within the next 24 hours.
The pause, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the ministry said in a statement.
“The number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementation of the agreement,” the ministry said.
The starting time of the pause in fighting would be announced within the next 24 hours, the statement added.
Qatar’s lead negotiator Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said the agreement should prompt the international community to “seize this brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track.”
The announcement has been greeted with relief and heightened anticipation from the families of those taken hostage at gunpoint by Hamas militants, who now await further news about their loved ones.
Hamas is holding 239 hostages captive in Gaza, including foreign nationals from 26 countries, according to figures from the Israeli military. The mass abductions took place during October 7, when Hamas militants struck across the border in a coordinated and bloody surprise attack killing around 1,200 people – the largest such attack on Israel since the country’s founding in 1948.
Israel responded to the attack by declaring war against Hamas and imposing a blockade on Gaza that cut off supplies of food, water, medicines and fuel, while launching a relentless air and ground assault. More than 12,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run government’s press office.
The newly announced deal followed weeks of negotiations that included the United States and Egypt, and was approved by Israel’s cabinet in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a six-hour meeting an Israeli official described as“tense and emotional.”
Israel held out the potential for the truce to extend beyond the original four-day period, saying in a statement, that an extra day would be added for each 10 additional hostages available for release.
But it also made clear that Israel plans to resume its air and ground campaign “to complete the eradication of Hamas” once this round of hostage releases concludes.
One hundred and fifty Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will be released as part of a deal reached with Israel over hostages held in Gaza, according to a Hamas statement early Wednesday.
The prisoners are women and children, the statement said.
Hamas confirmed the deal, brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediation, which will see the release of 50 hostages, also women and children, held in Gaza since October 7. It also said the agreement involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of Gaza.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the full list of relevant prisoners has yet to be released, but unlike the last hostage deal, this group does not include anyone who was involved in the October 7 attacks.
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DOHA, Nov 22- Qatari foreign ministry said on Wednesday Hamas and Israel have agreed on a humanitarian pause in Gaza hostilities for four days, subject to extension, the starting time of the which will be announced within the next 24 hours.
The pause, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the ministry said in a statement.
“The number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementation of the agreement,” the ministry said.
The starting time of the pause in fighting would be announced within the next 24 hours, the statement added.
Qatar’s lead negotiator Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said the agreement should prompt the international community to “seize this brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track.”
The announcement has been greeted with relief and heightened anticipation from the families of those taken hostage at gunpoint by Hamas militants, who now await further news about their loved ones.
Hamas is holding 239 hostages captive in Gaza, including foreign nationals from 26 countries, according to figures from the Israeli military. The mass abductions took place during October 7, when Hamas militants struck across the border in a coordinated and bloody surprise attack killing around 1,200 people – the largest such attack on Israel since the country’s founding in 1948.
Israel responded to the attack by declaring war against Hamas and imposing a blockade on Gaza that cut off supplies of food, water, medicines and fuel, while launching a relentless air and ground assault. More than 12,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run government’s press office.
The newly announced deal followed weeks of negotiations that included the United States and Egypt, and was approved by Israel’s cabinet in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a six-hour meeting an Israeli official described as “tense and emotional.”
Israel held out the potential for the truce to extend beyond the original four-day period, saying in a statement, that an extra day would be added for each 10 additional hostages available for release.
But it also made clear that Israel plans to resume its air and ground campaign “to complete the eradication of Hamas” once this round of hostage releases concludes.
One hundred and fifty Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will be released as part of a deal reached with Israel over hostages held in Gaza, according to a Hamas statement early Wednesday.
The prisoners are women and children, the statement said.
Hamas confirmed the deal, brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediation, which will see the release of 50 hostages, also women and children, held in Gaza since October 7. It also said the agreement involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of Gaza.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the full list of relevant prisoners has yet to be released, but unlike the last hostage deal, this group does not include anyone who was involved in the October 7 attacks.
(Reuters and Various)
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