Israel and Hamas agree to pause fighting for release of 50 hostages

Relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas militants hold the pictures of their loved ones during a protest in Tel Aviv, on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas militants and supporters organise a protest calling for the return of more than 200 hostages held in Gaza for two weeks. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: AP

  • Israel and Hamas on Tuesday appeared close to a deal to temporarily halt their devastating six-week war for dozens of hostages being held in the Gaza Strip to be freed in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prison.

  • The World Health Organisation says that health services in Gaza have suffered “catastrophic” damage, with most hospitals no longer functioning.

  • Some 31 babies have been saved - 28 of which have been relocated to Egypt - after 291 patients were left stranded in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, where the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) is continuing its search for Hamas' command centre.

  • More than 12,700 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war between Israel and proscribed terror group Hamas.

  • At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel following Hamas' October 7 attack in the south of the country.

Qatar has announced a truce-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas that would bring a four-day halt in fighting in the six-week war, win freedom for dozens of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, and also lead to the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said it would announce within a day when the clock will start ticking on the truce, during which 50 hostages will be released in stages in exchange for what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinians prisoners held by Israel.

Those freed by both sides will be women and children. Humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza would also increase.

The announcement came hours after Israel's Cabinet approved the deal. It capped weeks of indirect Qatari-led negotiations between Israel and Hamas, an Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years.

The United States and Egypt were also involved in stop-and-go talks to free some of the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza.

Hostage releases will begin roughly 24 hours after the deal is approved by all parties, said a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office made no mention of the release of Palestinian prisoners or increased humanitarian aid when it confirmed the Cabinet had approved the deal.

“The government of Israel is committed to bringing all of the hostages home. Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal,” the office said in a statement.

Ahead of the Cabinet vote, which came after a six-hour meeting stretching into the early morning, Netanyahu said the war against Hamas would resume after the truce expires.

“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”

Across the seven-week conflict Hamas militants have released four hostages to the Red Cross. Credit: AP

US president Joe Biden confirmed the deal is "very close" to being finalised, adding "we could bring some of these hostages home very soon. Things are looking good at the moment."

Netanyahu said the return of hostages taken by Hamas is a "sacred and supreme mission," in a statement.

"We will not let go of the mission to return them, and it is my responsibility as well as the war cabinet’s,” he said

The Israeli PM faces growing calls from family members over the slow pace of progress being made to secure their release.

Around 240 hostages were taken during Hamas's deadly attack in Israel on October 7, which prompted Israel to invade Gaza.

Since the attack, Hamas has released four hostages, Israel has rescued one, and the bodies of two were found near the al-Shifa hospital.

Israeli ground offensive continues as thousands of Palestinians displaced

Three doctors, two affiliated with charity Doctors Without Borders, were killed in a strike on the al-Awda hospital.

The medical facility is one of the last functioning in the north of the strip after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday that health services in Gaza had suffered “catastrophic” damage.

“We now have 1.7 million people displaced so we have twice or three times the population (in the south of Gaza), using one third of the hospital beds in less than a third of the hospitals available,” Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, told a UN briefing.

“Even if tomorrow morning, this were to end in terms of a ceasefire, we still have a huge problem on our hands.”

Air strikes have continued across southern and northern Gaza. Credit: AP

Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen has said that its reporter Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Al-Me'mari have been killed, as Israel says it has been striking 'Hezbollah targets' on the Lebanon border.

Israeli forces have also continued to advance in northern Gaza, causing thousands of patients and displaced people who have been sheltering in hospitals to evacuate.

The IDF has said that military forces are "preparing the battlefield" in the Jabaliya area, which contains the largest refugee camp in Gaza.

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