The war between Israel and Hamas, which entered its 47th day on Wednesday, was sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s bloody Oct. 7 attack on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip, where it seized power in 2007.
• Also read: Qatar confirms agreement between Israel and Hamas on a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza
In retaliation, Israel vowed to “destroy Hamas,” relentlessly shelled the besieged area, home to 2.4 million Palestinians, and launched a ground operation on Oct. 27.
Here are the latest developments:
Qatar, a mediator in the hostage affair, confirmed on Wednesday the agreement previously announced by Israel and Hamas for a “humanitarian pause” in the Gaza Strip with an exchange of hostages held in the area for detained Palestinians.
This “humanitarian pause” will be announced “in the next 24 hours” and will last “four days, with the possibility of an extension,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said early Wednesday.
Doha spoke of the release of “50 civilian women and children currently detained in the Gaza Strip” in exchange for the release of “a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons.”
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Israel presented a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released, saying that 150 out of 50 hostages would be released initially and that others could also be released in a second phase if other hostages were released.
According to the Israeli army, around 240 people were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip on the day of the Hamas attack.
Qatar says this brief ceasefire will also allow the entry of “a larger number of humanitarian convoys and emergency aid, including fuel,” as Gaza faces a total siege imposed by Israel.
Israel’s largest association of hostage families said it was “very happy that a partial release is underway” and said it did not know at the moment “who will be released and when.”
Several countries, including the United States, Russia and China, have welcomed the agreement.
Despite the agreement, the bombings in the Gaza Strip did not stop on Wednesday, according to Palestinian sources.
“We confirm that our hands remain on the trigger and that our victorious battalions remain vigilant,” Hamas warned after the deal was announced.
“The Israeli government, the Israeli army and the security forces will continue the war to return all abductees, eliminate Hamas and ensure that there is no further threat to the State of Israel from Gaza,” the government said.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday ahead of the agreement that a real health “tragedy” was looming in the Gaza Strip due to a lack of fuel and water.
The Hamas government says 14,128 people have been killed in Israeli bombings of the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, including more than 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to a new report on Tuesday.
On the Israeli side, the Hamas attack on October 7 claimed 1,200 lives, mostly civilians, according to authorities. According to the army, 68 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began.