HomeWorldFour-day truce between Israel and Hamas comes into force

Four-day truce between Israel and Hamas comes into force

The four-day truce agreed between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, which provides for the release of 50 hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, came into effect this Friday at 7:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m. in Lisbon).

The truce came into effect after a night in which Israel continued attacking the Gaza Strip and in which Hamas launched missiles against two Israeli settlements located near the Palestinian enclave, whose inhabitants had already been evacuated.

About two hours before the truce went into effect, the director general of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, Mounir Al-Bursh, told the France-Presse news agency (AFP) that Israeli soldiers were “taking carry out an operation in the Indonesian area”. Hospital”, located in northern Gaza, where 200 patients are still being treated.

The Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, celebrated the “humanitarian truce” that will allow the “exchange of prisoners.” “For every Zionist prisoner, three Palestinian prisoners will be released, including women and children,” they stressed.

Hamas confirmed “the total cessation of military activities” for four days.

An Egyptian security source told AFP that an Egyptian security delegation will be present in Jerusalem and Ramallah to ensure “compliance with the list” of released Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli security officials, accompanied by Red Cross personnel and Egyptian agents, will be sent to the Rafah border crossing to receive the freed Gaza hostages, who will then fly to Israel, the source added.

The Rafah border crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt and is the only access route to territory governed by the Hamas group not controlled by Israel, will also see more humanitarian aid enter the Palestinian enclave.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said Thursday that 13 women and children detained by Hamas in Gaza, all members of the same family, will be released, while a still unknown number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will be liberated at the same time.

After more than a month and a half of war, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, which will allow the release of 50 hostages that Islamist militias are holding inside the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners. In both cases they are women and minors.

Israeli sources confirmed to the EFE agency that, for every ten additional hostages that Hamas is willing to release after four days, the truce may be extended one more day, up to a maximum of ten days.

It is estimated that Palestinian militias in Gaza are holding around 240 people hostage, around 210 held by Hamas and another 30 held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In total, there are at least 40 children hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities, who received on Thursday the list of 50 hostages that Hamas will hand over, although it was not made public as a precaution.

Source: TSF

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