Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza — a breakthrough that will facilitate the release of dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and bring a large influx of aid to the besieged territory, officials said Wednesday. The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel. Now in its seventh week, the conflict has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East. The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar announced the deal, and Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV channel said the truce would take effect at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) Thursday. Both countries, along with the United States, helped mediate the deal between Israel and Hamas. Fifty hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting “until we achieve all our goals,” including the destruction of Hamas’ fighting and governing abilities and the return of all hostages. For in-depth insight and a deeper perspective on the truce hostage release deal and the endgame, FRANCE 24’s Angela DIFFLEY is joined by Nimrod Goren, Author and President / Founder of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, a foreign policy think tank.
Allies ‘standing beside Israel’s war objectives’: End Hamas terror threat and its rule over Gaza
