The ceasefire will also facilitate the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
Source: Times of Israel
The Government of Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a four-day pause in hostilities, as reported by Sarbaz.kz citing Reuters.
It's believed that HAMAS is holding over 200 hostages, taken when their militants invaded Israel on October 7, resulting in, by Israeli counts, the deaths of 1200 individuals.
In a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was outlined that 50 women and children would be released within the four days during which hostilities would be suspended. It was mentioned that for every additional 10 Israeli hostages released, the ceasefire would be extended by one day, with no mention of the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
The ceasefire agreement will also allow hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian, medical, and fuel aid to enter Gaza, as stated by the Palestinian group.
Israel pledged not to attack or arrest anyone in all parts of Gaza during the ceasefire period. The commencement time of the ceasefire will be announced within the next 24 hours, according to the statement. It's worth noting that this agreement marks the first ceasefire in the conflict.
Before announcing the temporary ceasefire, Netanyahu mentioned that the intervention of US President Joe Biden helped improve the preliminary agreement to include more hostages and fewer concessions.
However, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel's mission remains unchanged.
"We are in a state of war, and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals. To destroy Hamas, to bring back all our hostages, and to guarantee that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel," he said in a pre-recorded message at the start of the government session.
According to the Israeli government, aside from Israeli citizens, more than half of the hostages held dual or foreign citizenships from around 40 countries, including the US, Thailand, the UK, France, Argentina, Germany, Chile, Spain, and Portugal. Israeli media reported that the first release of hostages is expected on Thursday. Implementation of the deal is to be delayed by 24 hours to allow Israeli citizens to appeal to the Supreme Court to block the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to reports.