The ceasefire officially started at 07:00 (05:00 GMT). The agreement includes the release of Hamas hostages and Palestinian prisoners. 130,000 gallons of fuel and four gas trucks will enter the Strip every day, as well as 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid.
The temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has come into force this Friday at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT). As agreed, the break will last four days, although it could be extended to ten. The release of thirteen hostages of women and children held by the Islamist group is expected from 4pm (2pm GMT).
“The criterion for prioritizing the hostages was purely humanitarian and we focused on getting women and children out of harm’s way as quickly as possible,” said Majed al Ansari, Qatar’s spokesman, who relied on the fulfillment of the ceasefire. and commitment” of both parties.
In total, it is expected that in the four days of ceasefire Hamas hands over fifty kidnapped people, between ten and thirteen a dayin exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners who have not been convicted of blood crimes. In both cases the list is limited exclusively to women and children.
The agreement, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States after a marathon day of negotiations in Doha, provides for the ceasefire to be extended for up to 10 days, allowing Hamas to hand over 150 kidnapped people. around 240 that he holds prisoner; and Israel frees up to 300 Palestinians.
For its part, Hamas has also confirmed that the agreement provides for daily accession 200 trucks with humanitarian aid, food and medicine to be distributed throughout the Strip, including the North, as well as the daily distribution of four trucks of fuel, crucial for the enclave’s electricity supply.
Moreover, the director of the State tion Service, Diaa Rashwan, who acts as a spokesperson for the Egyptian government, stated that 130,000 liters of fuel and four gas trucks coming from Egypt enter the Strip every day.
The ceasefire is a reprieve for the devastated enclave, embroiled in the worst humanitarian catastrophe in its history, where more than 14,500 have already been killed, more than 70% of them children and women, and more than 6,800 are missing under the rubble or their bodies are on the streets and roads, so the number of fatalities could be higher, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
In addition to completely suspending military operations, Israel has also committed to suspend drone aerial surveillance over the Strip for six hours a day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the north of the Strip, and all day in the south.
In addition, the Red Cross will be able to enter the enclave to provide medical care to the hostages who have not yet been released, most of them soldiers and civilians, who are not included in this first batch, which also does not consider the delivery of corpses.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
