The ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and the Hamas group will come into effect on Friday morning and the first hostages will be released in the afternoon, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari announced on Thursday.
“The humanitarian pause will start on Friday at 7am (5am Lisbon time) and the first group of civilian hostages will be released around 4pm (2pm Lisbon time) on the same day,” said Majed Al-Ansari.
Thirteen women and children held by the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, all members of the same family, will be released at the same time, while an as yet unknown number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will be released at the same time, according to Qatari diplomacy.
“A certain number of citizens will be released each day, reaching a planned total of 50 by the end of the four days,” the spokesperson added.
The agreement – which was reached on Wednesday thanks to the mediation of Qatar, with the support of Egypt and the United States, and which was supposed to enter into force today – concerns a renewable ceasefire involving an exchange of 50 hostages held in Gaza against 150 detained Palestinians. in three Israeli prisons.
The entry of more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, through the Rafah border post, which connects the Palestinian enclave to Egypt and is the only access point to the area controlled by the Hamas group and not controlled by Israel, is another issue of the agreement. .
The agreement was reached on the 47th day of the ongoing war, which was triggered by an attack of unprecedented proportions since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, led by Hamas on October 7.
In retaliation, Israel declared a war to “eradicate” Hamas, which began with cuts to food, water, electricity and fuel supplies in the Gaza Strip and daily bombing, followed by a ground offensive around Gaza City.
Source: DN
