Israel's government and Hamas on Wednesday, agreed to a four-day cease-fire to allow the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and an entry of humanitarian assistance into the beleaguered enclave.
Officials from Qatar, which has been mediating the talks, as well as the US, Israel, and Hamas, have been suggesting for days that a solution is soon.
According to Israeli estimates, Hamas is keeping more than 200 captives captured when its fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people.
According to a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office, 50 women and children would be freed over the course of four days, during which combat would be suspended.
The halt will be prolonged by one day for every additional ten hostages freed, it stated, without mentioning the release of Palestinian captives in compensation.
"Israel's government is committed to releasing all hostages." "It approved the proposed deal tonight as a first step towards achieving this goal," said the statement, issued after hours of closed-door debate.
The 50 captives would be exchanged for 150 Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, according to Hamas. According to Hamas, the cease-fire agreement will also allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical, and fuel relief to reach Gaza.
It went on to say that Israel has promised not to assault or detain anyone in Gaza during the truce period.
According to Gaza officials, the agreement marks the first truce in a conflict in which Israeli bombardments have devastated swaths of Hamas-ruled Gaza, killed 13,300 civilians, and left roughly two-thirds of the 2.3 million residents homeless.