Hamas welcomes “humanitarian truce” agreement with Israel in Gaza

“AThe provisions of this agreement were formulated in accordance with the vision of resistance and determination that aims to serve our people and strengthen their tenacity in the face of aggression,” Hamas said.

“We confirm that our hands will remain on the trigger and that our triumphant battalions will remain alert,” warned the group, in a statement.

The Israeli government accepted on Tuesday the agreement with Hamas for a four-day truce.

Hours before the announcement, Hamas had already stated that “the ball” was “in Israel’s court”, after the group communicated its position on the agreement to mediators Qatar and Egypt.

All members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s executive voted in favor of the exchange and truce, except for the three ministers from the far-right Jewish Power Party (Otzma Yehudit) and the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir.

While the terms of the agreement are awaited, which Qatar is expected to announce in the coming hours, leaks from Israeli media suggest that the pact includes the release of a minimum of 50 hostages – mostly children and their mothers – with the possibility that the number can be increased to 80, as well as a ceasefire for a minimum period of four days, which could be extended for a few more days.

Hamas will take the hostages to Egypt through the Rafah crossing, in daily groups of around ten, and from there they will be transferred to Israel.

For its part, Israel is expected to release around 150 Palestinian prisoners – mostly women and minors – who have not been convicted of blood crimes.

Furthermore, the army undertakes not to fly over the Gaza Strip for six hours a day while the truce is in force, to allow Hamas to locate hostages held by other armed groups, such as Islamic Jihad.

According to estimates, Hamas has between 210 and 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad has around 30.

According to the Hebrew press, the agreement also provides for the entry into the Gaza Strip, including the northern region, of 100 to 300 trucks with food and medical aid, as well as fuel.

Israeli public television said that the temporary cessation of hostilities will begin on Thursday, in order to allow 24 hours for the presentation of possible appeals against the Government’s decision to the Supreme Court.

This truce comes after weeks of increasing pressure from the international community and the main international organizations, such as the United Nations, to put an end to the incessant attacks, which have also left more than 1.5 million people displaced.

Tel Aviv declared war on Hamas after the Islamist group launched an attack against Israel on October 7, in which more than 1,200 people died and 240 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.

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