Israel and Hamas struck a compromise on Wednesday that allows at least 50 hostages and dozens of Palestinian detainees to be freed after weeks of all-out war, while also granting beleaguered Gaza residents a four-day reprieve.
In the first major diplomatic success of the war, Palestinian terrorists will return 50 women and children captured during their October 7 raids during a four-day truce.
After weeks of Qatar-mediated talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet endorsed the cease-fire agreement Wednesday after a near-all-night meeting in which he told ministers it was a “difficult decision, but it’s the right decision.”
The cabinet’s approval was one of the final stumbling blocks after five “extremely excruciating” weeks of discussions, according to one US source.
Hamas issued a statement applauding the “humanitarian truce” and announcing the release of 150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
“The resistance is committed to the truce as long as the occupation honours it,” a Hamas official told AFP.
According to the Israeli government, Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest cross-border attack in Israeli history on October 7, killing around 1,200 persons, the majority of whom were civilians.
Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organisations also kidnapped an estimated 240 Israelis and tourists, including elderly and small children.
Israel declared war on Hamas, pledging to return the hostages and destroy the extremist organisation.
cc: Vanguard Ng
