Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce mediated by Qatar that will see the release of 50 women and children held captive in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails.
The deal was announced on Wednesday and the starting time is expected to be confirmed within the next 24 hours, according to a statement from Qatar.
The agreement also includes desperately needed humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza following weeks of relentless Israeli attacks that have killed more than 14,100 people, including 5,600 children, and forced about 1.7 million from their homes.
About 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attack on Israel.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas stating that the EU will use the pause for a humanitarian surge in Gaza.
“The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza,” she said in a statement.
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas has also commended the efforts of Qatar and Egypt in helping secure the pause in fighting, while renewing calls for a “comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people”.
“we renew the call for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the introduction of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy, leading to an end to the occupation and the Palestinian people gaining their freedom, independence, and sovereignty,” Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Hussein al-Sheikh, said on X.
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