Ceasefire, Prisoner Exchange and Humanitarian Aid: What You Need to Know About the Hamas-Israel Hostage Agreement

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

Finally: After a month and a half, a hostage agreement was signed between the terrorist organization Hamas and the State of Israel. Blick will answer who will benefit the most, what happens next, and why there won’t be a happy ending for all the hostages.

Both sides have agreed to a four-day ceasefire. Hamas will release 50 women and children held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Among them are at least three American women. Thirteen hostages are expected to be released every day. In return, 150 Palestinian women and children will be released from Israeli prisons during the ceasefire. Both parties announced this on Wednesday morning.

Israel has also agreed to allow more aid to the Gaza Strip. There is an acute humanitarian crisis there after seven weeks of brutal bombings and blockades. The agreement is also expected to include Red Cross visits to the remaining hostages and the distribution of medicines.

The agreement was confirmed by a senior US official. Qatar, which brokered the deal, said the start of the ceasefire would be announced within the next 24 hours.

Although the hostage agreement that has now been reached is a milestone, not all Hamas hostages will be released. Up to 150 hostages will still have to remain in Gaza. Unless Israel releases more Palestinian prisoners. About 7,000 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel, 559 of whom are serving life sentences for the murder of Israelis. In addition, approximately 130 terrorists were arrested in Israel on October 7. A third of the prisoners are members of Hamas.

Israel will completely halt its airstrikes in the south of the Gaza Strip. In the north, Hamas says the ceasefire will be limited to six hours a day. It also confirmed that Israeli forces will not bring military vehicles into the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire.

There had been a long struggle for the first agreements of this nature after six and a half weeks of war. The Israeli government is under intense domestic pressure to make progress in repatriating the hostages. The hostages’ families launched a campaign under the slogan “Bring them home” and met with members of Israel’s war cabinet on Monday evening.

Given the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, international pressure on Israel is also growing. The bombardment by the Israeli army, followed by the ground invasion, has led to a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip: food, water, fuel and medicine are in short supply. 1.7 million of the 2.3 million people are displaced and only 10 of the 36 hospitals are operational.

The deal with Israel can be seen as a victory for the Hamas leadership. Because Hamas leader Jahia Sinwar (61) is the one who dictated the terms. At the same time, Qatar can profile itself as a successful mediator in this crucial issue. And thus polish his international reputation.

The question also arises: if fighting breaks out again after the four-day ceasefire and many more deaths occur, what will that mean for the remaining hostages and prisoners who will not be released next week?

Hamas will likely want to use any ceasefire to regroup. It is also possible that she could try to extend the ceasefire by offering to gradually release more hostages. Israel would also like this option: the Israeli government has confirmed that the ceasefire will be extended by one day for every ten additional hostages released.

However, Israel has promised to eliminate Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu, 74, Israel’s prime minister, told the cabinet he expected fighting to resume. “We will not stop after the ceasefire,” he said.

Source: Blick