Israeli Government Approves Deal to Release Hostages Held by Hamas
The Israeli government has approved a deal to release some of the hostages held by Hamas during a short-term cease-fire expected to begin Thursday morning. The announcement comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his war cabinet to discuss the terms of the deal following recent progress in negotiations in Doha, Qatar.
“The Government of Israel is obligated to return home all of the hostages. Tonight, the Government has approved the outline of the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 hostages — women and children — will be released over four days, during which a pause in the fighting will be held,” the statement said. The release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day in the pause.
Hamas has also issued a statement on Telegram saying it had agreed to the deal, which includes a “cease-fire from both parties.” The group thanked Qatar and Egypt for assisting with the negotiations.
According to a senior Biden administration official, three American hostages are expected to be among the 50 women and children released by Hamas in a first wave. A senior Hamas official in Doha, and separately an Israeli official speaking to CBS News, said the halt in the fighting was set to take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday, or 3 a.m. Eastern.
The terms of the deal included the release of 50 Israeli women and children hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. Additionally, it required a cessation of all air traffic over southern Gaza, and air traffic over northern Gaza for six hours every day of the pause in fighting, as well as the entry of humanitarian, relief, medical, and fuel aid into all areas of the Gaza Strip.
Qatar has formally announced a humanitarian pause had been agreed to, with the pause lasting for four days, subject to extension.
In response to the deal, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both expressed their support. The flow of aid to Gaza is set to increase during the cease-fire, with 300 trucks per day carrying supplies including cooking oil for bakeries and fuel for hospitals.
The agreement will allow for three Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each hostage freed by Hamas, with plans for the more hostages Hamas finds and releases, the more Palestinians will be freed from Israeli prisons.
It is expected that the International Committee of the Red Cross will take custody of the hostages from Hamas in Gaza and hand them over to the Israel Defense Forces for transfer to Israel.
The situation remains tense, with Netanyahu assuring that the short pause will not mean an end to the war, but only a temporary cessation of hostilities.
The release of the hostages will hopefully bring some relief to the families of the victims and marks a significant step toward a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.