Many people in Israel can breathe a sigh of relief after weeks of worry: their government has agreed on a ceasefire with Hamas and dozens of hostages are to be released. The overview.
After days of tough negotiations, Israel’s government has agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for at least four days in return for the release of dozens of Israeli hostages. The cabinet approved an agreement with the Islamist Hamas early Wednesday morning, a government spokesman confirmed. Accordingly, at least 50 women and children who were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip are to be released. Israel, for its part, is releasing an as yet undetermined number of Palestinians from Israeli prisons, according to the mediating Emirate of Qatar; Hamas spoke of 150 women and minors.
Netanyahu: War continues after ceasefire
Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that the war in the Gaza Strip would continue “until we have achieved all of our goals.” This includes the elimination of Hamas, the return of all hostages and missing persons and the guarantee that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. Hamas also spoke of having its hands “continued on the trigger.” Meanwhile, there was another rocket alarm in the border area with Israel this morning, as the Israeli military announced on Telegram.
Ceasefire is set to begin in the next 24 hours
The exact start of the pause in fighting should be announced within 24 hours, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said early Wednesday morning. According to Hamas, during the ceasefire, Israeli flight movements will be stopped completely in the south of the coastal strip and in the north for six hours a day.
According to Qatar, the agreement on a “humanitarian pause” also stipulates that a “larger number” of aid convoys and additional fuel will be delivered to the Gaza Strip. Official confirmation from Israel on some points of the agreement was initially pending.
According to The Times of Israel newspaper, Palestinian prisoners to be released will be returned to the city or town where they lived before their imprisonment, including in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Relatives can lodge an objection
According to the Israeli government, relatives of terror victims, among others, can appeal to the Supreme Court within 24 hours against the release of Palestinian prisoners. The court is not expected to stop the government’s decision. According to the media, no prisoners convicted of murder should be released.
Terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out unprecedented massacres in the south of Israel around six weeks ago, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping around 240 hostages to Gaza – including Germans. In response, Israel’s military carried out air strikes on the Gaza Strip and deployed ground troops into the sealed off region.
Of the 240 people abducted, four female hostages have so far been released by Hamas. A young female soldier was freed from the military. The army also found the bodies of two women. How many are still alive in total is unclear.
All hostages are said to be Israeli citizens
In Israel it is expected that the gradual release of the 50 hostages could begin on Thursday. According to Israeli media, between 10 and 13 hostages will be released on each day of the break in fighting. All hostages are said to have Israeli citizenship. According to Qatar, the ceasefire could also be extended.
According to the government of Israel, for each additional day, Hamas would have to release ten more hostages. Israel assumes that a total of 80 hostages could be released. There are fears in Israel that Hamas could use the ceasefire to reposition itself.
Report gives details about the released prisoners
Following the agreement with Hamas to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, Israel has revealed details of the detainees, according to media reports. 287 of the 300 imprisoned Palestinians eligible for release are young men up to 18 years old, the Times Of Israel reported on Wednesday. Most of them are said to have been imprisoned for rioting and stone-throwing in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. According to the report, 13 other prisoners are adult women, most of whom were convicted of knife attacks. Israeli media had previously reported that no prisoners serving time for murder would be released.
Biden and Baerbock welcome agreement
US President Joe Biden welcomed the ceasefire agreement. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the release of the first large group of hostages a “breakthrough”.
According to Israeli media, there are 30 children, eight mothers and twelve elderly women. According to Channel 12, Israeli hospitals are prepared for the arrival of the abductees. They should therefore be brought from Gaza via the Rafah border crossing to Egypt and from there to Israel by helicopter.
This will be important today
Pope Francis wants to meet relatives of the kidnapped Israeli hostages on the sidelines of his weekly general audience. Several humanitarian and human rights organizations (including Save the Children) want to speak online to the press about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip
