The four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin at 7 a.m. local time on Friday (12 a.m. EST), with civilian hostages held hostage by the terrorist group expected to be handed over hours later, according to Qatari officials.
The first group of hostages will include 13 Israeli women and children, who will be released at 4 p.m., with the total number rising to 50 within four days, ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in Doha, Qatar’s capital. .
Three Americans could be among the freed hostages. Additionally, more aid for the Palestinians will begin arriving “as soon as possible,” Al-Ansari said.
Up to 150 Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released from Israeli custody as part of the deal.
The Qatar-brokered deal was first approved by the Israeli cabinet early Wednesday morning local time and was scheduled to begin Thursday morning, but was delayed as negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued into the morning.
According to the Israeli government, one more day of cessation of hostilities will be added for every 10 hostages released by Hamas.
It marks the first major diplomatic breakthrough in six weeks of violent fighting since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and dragged some 240 Israeli hostages to Gaza.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the sneak attack, while 11,500 people in the Gaza Strip were reported killed during Israel’s retaliation, according to Hamas-led health authorities.
Israeli forces have devastated Gaza during their counteroffensive on the ground in the city, which was first attacked by artillery via REUTERS
Israel has since devastated the Palestinian city with a ruthless artillery bombardment and an intense ground invasion to eradicate the terrorist group.
Qatar will work with the “parties to the conflict” and the Red Cross to help carry out the hostage exchanges, said the Arab nation, where the Hamas leadership lives.
On Thursday morning, Israel received a list of the hostages who will be released, Israeli Prime Minister Ofir Gendelman’s spokesman announced on Twitter.
“The families of the hostages whose loved ones appear on the list of those to be released as the first tranche of brutal Hamas captivity have been informed of this. So have the families of the rest of the hostages,” he wrote.
Israel has vowed to continue its campaign to eradicate Hamas once the four-day ceasefire ends via REUTERS. Israeli forces remained active in Gaza as the ceasefire was negotiated this week. It will start on Thursday morningAP
President Biden welcomed the announcement of the deal to “secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist group Hamas,” in a statement Tuesday night.
“Today’s deal should bring home more American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all freed,” he said.
“I look forward to speaking with each of these leaders and staying in close contact as we work to ensure this agreement is fully carried out. “It is important that all aspects of this agreement be fully implemented,” Biden added.
Israel agreed to allow fuel and humanitarian aid, such as medical supplies, into Gaza as part of the deal, Hamas officials said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting once the ceasefire ends.
“We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our objectives,” Netanyahu said in a statement reproduced at a recent government meeting. “Destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn