Israel and Hamas ‘tentatively agree to five day CEASEFIRE in US-brokered deal so women and children held hostage in Gaza can be freed’
Israel, the United States and Hamas have reached a tentative deal to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day break in fighting. WashingtonPost This was reported on Saturday based on people familiar with the deal.
As part of the detailed six-page agreement, all sides would freeze combat operations for at least five days while “initially releasing 50 or more hostages in smaller groups every 24 hours,” the Post reported.
Hamas took about 240 hostages during its rampage in Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people.
It was not immediately clear how many of the 239 people believed to be in Gaza would be released under the deal.
The newspaper said overhead surveillance would monitor ground movements to help control the pause, which is also intended to allow for a significant amount of humanitarian aid.
Israel, the United States and Hamas have reached a tentative deal to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day break in the fighting, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Civil defense teams, together with local residents, carry out search and rescue operations in the rubble of the residential buildings after Israeli strikes hit residential buildings in the Jabalia camp in Jabalia, Gaza on November 18, 2023
It is believed that the lull in fighting would allow a significant increase in the amount of humanitarian aid, including fuel, from Egypt.
The deal is said to be the result of weeks of talks in Doha and Qata involving Israel, the United States and Hamas, which were represented by Qatari mediators.
Late Saturday evening, an Israeli embassy spokesman said “we are not going to comment” on any aspect of the hostage situation.
There was also no immediate comment from the White House or the Israeli prime minister’s office on the Post report.
The release of the hostages could begin within days, according to people familiar with the deal.
More to follow…
An IDF soldier directs a tank driver by gesturing near the northern border with Gaza on November 17, 2023
People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in airstrikes on November 18, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza
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