The ceasefire officially began at 07:00 (05:00 GMT). The agreement entails the release of Hamas hostages and Palestinian prisoners. 130,000 liters of fuel and four gas trucks will enter the Strip daily, as well as 200 trucks of humanitarian aid.
The temporary truce in the Gaza Strip has come into force this Friday at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT). As agreed, the pause will last four days, although it could be extended to 10. The release of 13 women and children hostages in the hands of the Islamist group is expected from 4:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT).
“The criterion for prioritizing the hostages was purely humanitarian and we focused on putting women and children out of danger as quickly as possible,” said Majed al Ansari, the Qatari spokesman, who has trusted in the fulfillment of the truce. after appreciating “positivism and commitment” from both parties.
In total, it is expected that, in the four days of truce, Hamas hands over 50 kidnapped people, between 10 and 13 each dayin exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners who have not been convicted of blood crimes. In both cases the list is reduced exclusively to women and children.
The agreement, reached with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States after a marathon day of negotiations in Doha, contemplates that the truce can be extended to a maximum of ten days, which will allow Hamas to hand over 150 kidnapped people among the around 240 that he holds captive; and Israel frees up to 300 Palestinians.
For its part, Hamas has also confirmed that the agreement contemplates the daily entry of 200 trucks with humanitarian aid, food and medicine to distribute throughout the Strip, including the north, as well as the daily distribution of four trucks with fuel, vital for the enclave’s electricity supply.
Furthermore, the director of the State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, who acts as spokesperson for the Egyptian Government, has stated that 130,000 liters of fuel and four gas trucks coming from Egypt will enter the Strip daily.
The ceasefire is a respite for the devastated enclave, mired in the worst humanitarian catastrophe in its history, where there are already more than 14,500 dead, more than 70% of them children and women, and more than 6,800 are missing under the rubble or their bodies lying on 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 aerial surveillance with drones 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 civilian men, not included in this first batch, which also does not contemplate the delivery of corpses.
Source: Eitb
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