Israel and Hamas have reached a deal for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza, marking a major diplomatic breakthrough nearly seven weeks after the start of a conflict that has spiraled into a grave humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
The deal, as laid out by key negotiator Qatar in a statement, would see hostages held captive by Hamas released in exchange for a number of Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails.
The statement said the truce, would also allow the entry of “a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid.
The starting time of the pause in fighting would be announced within the next 24 hours, the statement added.
An Israeli official told Newsmen on Wednesday that the truce is slated to begin at 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) on Thursday.
There is an option for the pause to last as long as 10 days, but Israeli officials believe it is unlikely to last that long.
Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU said when the deal was approved that for every additional 10 hostages who are released, there will be an additional day of a pause in the fighting.
The Deputy National Security Adviser , JOHN FINER said the US and Israel will also both pause drone flights over Gaza for six hours each day as part of the deal to secure the release of 50 women and children hostages from Gaza.
Qatar’s lead negotiator Minister of State , MOHAMMED AL – KHULAIFI said the agreement should prompt the international community to “seize this brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track.”
The announcement has been greeted with relief and heightened anticipation from the families of those taken hostage, who now await further news about their loved ones.
It has also been met with positive reaction on the international stage.
Egyptian President, ABDELFATTAH EL- SISI reiterated Egypt’s commitment to finding a “sustainable” solution for the Palestinian people, while Qatar’s prime minister said his country hopes the development will establish “a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that will put an end to the war and the bloodshed.”
Hamas is holding 239 hostages captive in Gaza, including foreign nationals from 26 countries, according to figures from the Israeli military.
The mass abductions at gunpoint took place during October 7, when Hamas militants struck across the border in a coordinated and bloody surprise attack killing around 1,200 people, the largest such attack on Israel since the country’s founding in 1948.
The newly announced deal followed weeks of negotiations that included the United States and Egypt, and was approved by Israel’s cabinet in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a six-hour meeting an Israeli official described as “tense and emotional.”