Agreement between Hamas and Israel on hostage release in the making

taketonews

Agreement between Hamas and Israel on hostage release in the making

Hamas and Israel are close to an agreement on a ceasefire. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said this, reports including the Reuters news agency. As part of the deal, dozens of Hamas hostages must be released, as well as hundreds of Palestinian children and women held in Israeli prisons.

Al Jazeera and AFP, among others, write about the content of the agreement. There must be a five-day ceasefire so that humanitarian aid can be admitted and hostages can leave the area. Between fifty to a hundred hostages of Hamas and Islamic Jihad will be released. Military personnel will not be released for the time being. On the other hand, Israel releases about three hundred Palestinian prisoners, mainly women and children.

In recent days there have already been positive sounds about an impending agreement from the authorities involved. For example, representatives from Qatar, which actively mediates between Israel and Hamas, said an agreement depended on “minor” details. President Biden and his spokesman John Kirby also said on Monday that an agreement was “closer than ever”.

Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), met with Hamas leader Haniyeh in Qatar on Monday. She also spoke with Qatari authorities. The Red Cross previously helped facilitate the release of four hostages. However, the organization emphasizes that it is not involved in negotiations between the parties.

Israeli demonstrators during a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Photo Abir Sultan / EPA

’17 dead in Israeli airstrikes on Nuseirat refugee camp’

At least seventeen Palestinian residents of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the night of Monday to Tuesday. This is what the Palestinian news agency Wafa writes. These numbers have not been independently verified by NRC.

The Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza is also said to have been hit by Israeli airstrikes and two houses in Gaza are also said to have been targeted by Israeli bombardments.

ttn-32