Israel, Hamas announce truce-for-hostage deal mediated by Qatar
DOHA, Qatar
Qatar voiced hope Wednesday that a humanitarian pause deal in the Gaza Strip will lead to serious peace talks.
”We thank our partners who contributed to reaching the humanitarian pause deal in Gaza, particularly the US and Egypt. We hope that it will establish a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that will put an end to the war and the bloodshed,” Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman said in a statement on social platform X.
He said Doha hopes that this pause ”will lead to serious talks for a comprehensive and just peace process in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.”
Israel and Hamas announced a truce-for-hostage deal early Wednesday.
Under the Qatar-mediated agreement, 50 Israelis held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, Israeli media reported.
The deal also includes a four-day pause in fighting and the entry of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including fuel, into the Gaza Strip.
The agreement also allows an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.
Israel estimates that at least 239 Israelis are being held by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack, killing more than 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
