The Israeli Government accepted this Tuesday an agreement with the Islamist group Hamas for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a four-day truce.
Hours before the announcement, Hamas had already stated that “the ball” was “in Israel’s court”, after the group communicated its position on the agreement to mediators Qatar and Egypt.
All members of the executive of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in favor of the exchange and truce, except the three ministers of the far-right Jewish Power Party (Otzma Yehudit) and the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir.
While awaiting the terms of the agreement, which Qatar is expected to announce in the coming hours, leaks from Israeli media suggest that the pact includes the release of a minimum of 50 hostages – mostly children and their mothers – with the possibility of that the number can be increased to 80, as well as a ceasefire for a minimum period of four days, extendable for a few more days.
Hamas will take the hostages to Egypt through the Rafah crossing, in daily groups of about ten people, and from there they will be transferred to Israel.
For its part, Israel is expected to release about 150 Palestinian prisoners – mostly women and minors – who have not been convicted of blood crimes.
In addition, the army agrees not to fly over the Gaza Strip for six hours a day while the truce is in force, to allow Hamas to locate hostages held by other armed groups, such as Islamic Jihad.
According to estimates, Hamas has between 210 and 240 hostages, while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has around 30.
According to the Hebrew press, the agreement also provides for the entry into the Gaza Strip, including the northern region, of 100 to 300 trucks with food and medical aid, as well as fuel.
Israeli public television stated that the temporary cessation of hostilities will begin on Thursday, in order to leave 24 hours for the presentation of possible appeals against the Government’s decision before the Supreme Court.
No soldier or man will be freed and no bodies of the dead hostages will be recovered. However, the media report that elderly people and hostages of foreign nationality can be exchanged.
Another point highlighted by the Israeli press is the fact that Hamas must indicate the names of the people who will be released one day in advance.
Before the government meeting, Netanyahu assured that the agreement provides for the Red Cross to visit the hostages and provide them with medical help.
The prime minister said that accepting the agreement, which Hamas said had been under discussion for a month, “is a difficult decision, but it is the right decision.”
Netanyahu warned, however, that this truce does not mean the end of the offensive, which caused more than 14,000 deaths, of which more than five thousand are children.
“There is a lot of nonsense out there that after the pause to return our hostages, we will stop the war. Well, let’s be clear: we are at war and we will continue the war. We will continue the war until we achieve all our objectives: eliminating Hamas , return all our hostages and missing persons and ensure that there is no element in Gaza that threatens Israel,” Netanyahu said before the meeting.
This truce comes after weeks of increasing pressure from the international community and major international organizations, such as the United Nations, to end the incessant attacks, which have also left more than 1.5 million people displaced.
Tel Aviv declared war on Hamas after the Islamist group launched an attack on Israel on October 7, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 240 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
Source: TSF
