Qatar Foreign Ministry: “13 women and children will be released”
“Increased scale of humanitarian aid delivered as quickly as possible”
Foreign media such as AFP and CNN reported on the 23rd that the Qatari government announced that a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas will begin at 7 a.m. on the 24th (local time).
Additionally, the hostages are scheduled to be released at 4 PM on the same day.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters on the 23rd that “13 people, including women and children, will be released.”
Spokesperson Al Ansari explained that the list of hostages scheduled to be released was handed over to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, and talks between the mediation parties continued until the morning of the 23rd.
However, he said that he could not disclose the route the released hostages would take for security reasons, and that Qatar would cooperate closely with the Red Cross and the parties to the conflict.
Initially, the hostage exchange between the two sides and the start of the ceasefire were expected to be on the 23rd, but were pushed back to after the 24th. Under an agreement between Israel and Hamas, at least 50 hostages held in Gaza will be released during this ceasefire.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on the 7th of last month when Hamas raided southern Israel and Israel launched a retaliatory attack.
Spokesperson Al Ansari said the two sides had exchanged lists of hostages to be released and that “increased humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people will be delivered as quickly as possible.”
Israeli Prime Minister’s Spokesperson Opir Gendelman told
Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire on the 22nd through mediation by the United States and Qatar.
Under the agreement, Hamas agreed to release at least 50 of the 250 hostages. In exchange for the release of the hostages, Israel released 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and allowed 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies to enter the Gaza Strip.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.