- 150 Palestinians will be released from Israeli jails but Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns that war with Hamas will continue
- Joe Biden welcomes deal brokered by the US and Qatar, says he ‘will not stop’ until all American hostages are free
A photo from southern Israel, near the border with the Gaza Strip, shows smoke billowing after an Israeli strike in north Gaza. Photo: AFPIsrael’s Cabinet gave its nod for a temporary ceasefire with militant group Hamas. This pause is expected to bring the first halt in fighting in the six-week old war and free dozens of hostages being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
The deal calls for a four-day ceasefire, during which Israel will halt its military offensive in Gaza while Hamas frees “at least” 50 of the roughly 240 hostages it and other militants are holding, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. The first hostages to be released are women and children.
“The government of Israel is committed to bringing all of the hostages home. Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal,” the office said in a statement.
Hamas released a statement welcoming the “humanitarian truce”, which it said would also see 150 Palestinians released from Israeli jails. The truce deal will also allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid to enter Gaza, Hamas said.
During the four-day truce, air traffic will completely stop in southern Gaza and will halt for six hours a day, from 10am to 4pm (local time), in northern Gaza, a Hamas statement said.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal, which was brokered by the US and Qatar. “Today’s deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released,” he said in a statement.
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Qatar’s foreign ministry said the starting time of the truce would be announced within the next 24 hours.
Ahead of the Israel vote, which came after a six-hour meeting stretching into the early morning, Netanyahu said the war against Hamas would resume after the truce expires.
“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”
Despite his tough words, the government statement said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.
A longer-term lull could lead to pressure, both international and domestic, for Israel to end its war without achieving its goal of destroying Hamas’ military capabilities.
The war erupted on October 7 when several thousand Hamas militants burst across the border into Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage. Most of the dead were civilians, while the hostages include small children, women and older people.
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Israel responded with weeks of blistering air strikes on Gaza, followed by a ground invasion that began over three weeks ago.
According to the Hamas government, the war has killed more than 14,100 people, including nearly 6,000 children and close to 4,000 women. Israel says thousands of Hamas militants have been killed.
The invasion has caused vast destruction in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, displaced an estimated 1.7 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, medicines, fuel and other key supplies throughout the territory.
Israel has rejected growing international criticism and vowed to press ahead until it destroys Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and all hostages are freed. Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to Israel’s destruction, has ruled Gaza since ousting the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority in 2007.
Under Wednesday’s deal, Hamas is expected to release roughly 12 hostages each day.
The return of any of the hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where the plight of the captives has gripped the country’s attention. Airwaves are filled with interviews with families of the hostages, who include babies and toddlers, women and children and people in their 80s with health issues.
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The families have become a powerful force in Israel – staging mass demonstrations and marches pressuring the government to bring home their loved ones.
They have made a central Tel Aviv square their headquarters, where evocative displays like a long white table with seats for all 240 hostages are meant to keep their plight in the public eye.