TEL AVIV — Amid increasing pressure from hostage families, Israel has agreed for a week-long ceasefire to secure the release of captives held by the Hamas militant groups in Gaza, according to highly-placed sources.
The fresh development comes two days after Mossad chief David Barnea met CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Warsaw on Monday.
According to media reports, Israeli President Isaac Herzog had said his coun on Tuesday try is willing to agree a new temporary truce with Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of more captives held by the Palestinian group.
The comments come amid growing international pressure on Israel to pause its assault on Gaza and to allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
A previous Israel-Hamas agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt led to a week-long truce at the end of November during which Hamas released 86 women and children it was holding in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails. Hamas also released 24 foreign nationals during the pause in fighting.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as the Gulf state’s foreign minister, Mossad Director David Barnea and CIA Director Bill Burns held talks in Poland on Monday to discuss a potential new deal to secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons and a humanitarian pause in the fighting.
“Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages,” Herzog told a gathering of ambassadors on Tuesday.
According to sources Israel had communicated to Qatar –the key mediatory — that it was agreeable for a one-week ceasefire and demanded the release of 40 hostages.
These hostages include women, children and elderly persons above 60 years of age.
Meanwhile, Israel has also agreed to release Palestinian prisoners, including those who have commited more grievous crime than the one who were freed during the previous humanitarian pause between November 24 and December 1.
Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that it rejects any forms of negotiations about prisoner exchanges “under the continuing Israeli genocidal war.”
The Palestinian group said it is open to any initiative that contributes to “ending the aggression” and opening border crossings “to bring in aid and provide relief to the Palestinian people.”
According to available information, the Israel side said that it would agree for a permanent cessation of war only after the Hamas hands over all those responsible for the October 7 carnage.
But as diplomatic efforts continue, the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave worsens with each day.
Nearly 20,000 people have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7, and more than 52,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, much of northern Gaza has been decimated by airstrikes and, according to the UN, almost 1.9 million people — more than 80 per cent of the enclave’s population — have been displaced.
— Aljazeera and agencies
