Karla Gaona.
Hamas agreed to release 33 Israeli hostages, primarily the most vulnerable people, including children and adults over 50 years of age.
The agreement proposes a ceasefire for both parties, after 15 months of war initiated by the terrorist group Hamas, which started this conflict by massacring more than 1.360 civilians. In addition, it kidnapped hundreds of Israelis and people of various nationalities.
Mohamed bin Abderrahman, Prime Minister of Qatar, has served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.
Through an announcement he published in the media and made known the points of the agreement.
The mediating countries involved in this negotiation are Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Initially, the aim is to free 33 hostages over a period of 42 days, or approximately three abductees per week. Hamas is also demanding “humanitarian aid,” especially fuel, and there are fears that this resource could be used to continue the terrorist acts of this group.
In exchange for the release of the first hostages, Israel will be forced to release Palestinian prisoners.
Another point that Hamas is demanding is the gradual withdrawal of the IDF from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
The agreement calls for 600 trucks of “humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza every day.
The Hamas terrorist group said that living hostages will be released first, followed by the remains of dead hostages.
The implementation of the agreement will be under the supervision of Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Negotiations on a second phase indicate that all Palestinian women and children under the age of 19, detained since 7 October 2023, will be released. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on the hostages released and could be between 990 and 1.650 Palestinian detainees, including men, women and children.
A third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining bodies and the start of reconstruction of Gaza, overseen by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
The agreement, which was launched in Doha, is awaiting approval by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although it is expected to take place in the coming days. Israel has not yet issued any official comments on the announcement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip must be followed by negotiations to achieve a permanent end to the conflict.
“We need to negotiate a permanent ceasefire so that Israel can withdraw all its forces from Gaza and Hamas cannot enter Israel, and the necessary governance, security and reconstruction arrangements can be established in Gaza.
Israel hopes that this agreement will be beneficial, above all, to guarantee the well-being of the nearly 100 hostages and their families who have lived through an unprecedented 15 months of hell.
(With information from Reuters)