In a rare moment of positive news, Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the release of hostages and a long-in-development ceasefire deal in the early hours of Wednesday morning (local). Below are the details of the agreement (in an official government statement), which puts into effect a multi-day ceasefire – the first of the more than month-long war that has claimed more than 13,000 Palestinian lives and more than 1,200 Israeli lives:
“The Israeli government is committed to bringing all abductees home. Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first phase of achieving this goal, involving at least 50 abductees – women and children – will be released in a span of four daysduring which there will be a pause in the battle“, the statement said.
“The release of every ten additional abductees will result in an extra day of rest,” it added.
“The Israeli government, the IDF and the security forces will continue the war to return all abductees, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that Gaza does not pose a new threat to the State of Israel.”
A prisoner swap is a key feature of the deal. According to Israeli media, “Israel also agreed to this release Palestinian women and minors from prison and let them return to their homes, especially in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”
“Israel has avoided offering a specific number, but Hebrew media has placed the figure at 150“, writes Times of Israel. “A Palestinian Authority minister told Al Arabiya on Tuesday that 350 imprisoned Palestinian minors and 82 imprisoned Palestinian women would be released in the swap.”
So it is clear that the deal is structured (with Qatari mediation) to be extended based on how the initial phase of prisoner releases goes.
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Update(1417ET): Further details as reported in the Israeli media, and as Netanyahu’s cabinet votes on approving the Qatar-brokered deal agreement:
- Government meets on proposed deal to release around 50 Israeli hostages during four-day ceasefire
- Deal foresees more releases later
- Palestinian prisoners should be released, but not murderers
But even if the deal is approved, and it is expected to be, the Israeli military promises that it will not hinder its goal of eradicating Hamas.
IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday: “The purpose of returning the hostages is important. Even if this results in a reduction in some other things, we will know how to restore our operational performance.” He said this means the IDF will still focus on eliminating Hamas.
The White House this week issued rare, if somewhat tame, criticism of Israel’s bombing campaign…
Original article below.
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For the first time in the Gaza conflict, both Israeli and Hamas sources agree that a major agreement for the mass release of hostages “closer than ever” and sits in the “final stages” – according to a US official quoted in Reuters Tuesday.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has agreed that they are “close to reaching a ceasefire” with Israel, and an official from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said: “An announcement of a deal may be imminent.” CNBC quotes the Israeli prime minister’s office as saying a deal has been reached.
Sources inside Reuters indicated that the ongoing deal will include a multi-day pause in fighting, with a prisoner exchange possibly affecting Hamas releases about 50 Israeli civilian hostages. Israelis, in turn, are expected to release female and minor Palestinians in their custody.
Since October 7, Hamas has been demanding the release of several thousand Palestinians held in Israeli custody for long periods, some of whom have never been charged.
Netanyahu on Tuesday made his most optimistic statements yet about a deal: “We are making progress on the release of the hostages. I hope we will have good news soon,” he told a group of military reservists.
Allegedly he is holding a series of urgent cabinet meetings to mull over the details of the pending deal…
Details reported by Axios based on diplomatic sources aware of the Qatar-mediated talks revealed:
- In the first phase of the two-phase deal, Hamas is expected to release 50 Israeli women and children held in Gaza, while Israel is expected to release about 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors. Some of the Israeli hostages have dual nationality.
- The release of hostages and prisoners in the first phase of the deal would take place during a four-day ceasefire in Gaza, one of the sources told Axios.
- As part of the deal, Israel would allow about 300 aid trucks a day to enter Gaza from Egypt.
In a possible second phase of the deal, another 50 could be released, and the ceasefire would be extended for several days, according to Axios:
- Israel would also release Palestinian prisoners at the same 3:1 ratio as the number of hostages released.
While Tuesday witnessed very optimistic international headlines and reporting, that was the case multiple false starts about previous deals that turned out to be premature, as the example of a story correction in the Washington Post showed on Monday.
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