The office of the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed that the agreement was signed in Qatar, where the negotiations were held, by negotiators for Israel and the Hamas movement. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the negotiating team that agreements were concluded for the release of the hostages,” the office said, according to AFP.
The mediators announced the agreement on the agreement between Israel and Hamas already on Wednesday evening. American President Joe Biden and Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdar Rahman Sani did so. However, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office claimed that the agreement was not complete and therefore could not be considered negotiated. On Thursday, he also claimed that the Hamas movement is trying to make changes to the text at the last minute. This was rejected by the representatives of the terrorist movement.
We are proud of October 7! Hamas leader reacts to ceasefire agreement by calling for another war
Near and Middle East
The agreement announced on Wednesday envisages that a cease-fire will come into effect on January 19, which will interrupt the fighting for 42 days in the first phase. At the same time, 33 hostages held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip are to be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The Israeli army is to gradually withdraw from the central areas to the edge of the strip and the displaced Palestinians will begin to return to their homes. The volume of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip is also to increase.
So far, the only ceasefire in the 15-month-long war, which Israel is waging against Hamas in retaliation for its terrorist attack from October last year, lasted only one week at the end of November of the same year. During it, Hamas released 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
On October 7, 2023, gunmen of Hamas and its allies killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage in the Israeli border. Since then, Israel’s massive military retaliation has claimed the lives of at least 46,788 Palestinians, according to Thursday’s figures from Hamas-controlled authorities, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
Hamas is withdrawing from some parts of the ceasefire agreement, Netanyahu claims
Near and Middle East
