The United States expects “more than 50” hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be released under a ceasefire deal announced with Israel, a senior White House official said on Tuesday.
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The Israeli government has given the green light to a deal that secures the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the first tangible sign of calm after weeks of war. The agreement was confirmed by the Palestinian movement.
“There will now be a break of several days; they (Hamas, editor’s note) will be able to identify more women and children. So we expect there will be more than 50,” the senior US official told reporters.
Among the released hostages were three American citizens, including a 3-year-old child, he said.
The same senior official added that Washington now hopes for a “complete pause” in hostilities on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where there are daily clashes between the Israeli army and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is said to be intervening in support of the Palestinian movement.
Around 240 people were kidnapped during the bloody attack on Israel on October 7 by the Islamist movement that holds power in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.
In retaliation for that attack, which Israeli authorities said killed 1,200 people, Israel vowed to “destroy” Hamas and relentlessly shelled the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 14,000 deaths, according to the Hamas government.
The United States and Qatar had worked for weeks to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.