Israeli cabinet approves truce for hostages deal with Hamas; Palestinian prisoners also to be freed
CTV
Israel's cabinet on Wednesday approved a temporary ceasefire with the Hamas militant group that is expected to bring the first halt in fighting in a devastating six-week war and win freedom for dozens of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
Israel's cabinet on Wednesday approved a temporary ceasefire with the Hamas militant group that is expected to bring the first halt in fighting in a devastating six-week war and win freedom for dozens of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
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.
A statement released by Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, Wednesday morning said the deal includes "the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement," and that it would allow additional humanitarian aid into Gaza, but the Israeli statement made no mention of either of these elements.
The statement from Qatar's Foreign Ministry described the talks that produced the agreement as a mediation by Egypt, the U.S. and Qatar for a "humanitarian pause," adding that the start time of the truce will be announced within the next day.
Hostage releases will begin roughly 24 hours after the deal is approved by all parties, said a senior White House official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matters.
Ahead of the cabinet 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.
