Israel And Hamas Reach Tentative 5-Day Pause To Free Hostages
“The decision to accept the deal is difficult for Israel…“
Israel, Hamas and the United States are reportedly close to announcing an agreement to pause ongoing hostilities in order to free dozens of women and children being held hostage in Gaza.
According to the Washington Post, the release could begin within the next several days – and would mark the first sustained pause in the conflict.
Under the terms of a six-page agreement;
- All parties would freeze combat operations for at least five days.
- During this period, an initial 50 or more hostages would be released in batches every 24 hours.
- It is unknown how many of what is believed to be 239 hostages will be released.
- The halt is also intended to allow humanitarian assistance to flood in, including fuel, which would arrive from Egypt.
According to the report, an outline of the deal was created during several weeks of talks in Doha, Quatar – where Israel, the USA and Hamas – indirectly represented by Qatari mediators, hashed out the logistics. Until now, it was unclear if Israel would agree to it.
A plume of smoke rises above northern Gaza after an Israeli strike. (Photo: AFP/Menahem Kahana)
“We are not going to comment,” said a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington late Saturday.
Concern about the captives — two of whom Israel said were found dead — along with the rising number of Palestinian civilian casualties have steadily increased pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. More than 100 countries — but, notably, not the United States — have called for a full and immediate cease-fire.
The decision to accept the deal is difficult for Israel, said one person familiar with the situation who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. While there is strong domestic pressure on Netanyahu to bring the hostages home, there are also loud voices in Israel demanding that the government not barter for their release. -WaPo
On Friday, Israeli National Security Council head Tzachi Haegbi told the press that a decision had been made by the war cabinet to agree to a limited ceasefire only after “a massive release of our hostages … and it will be limited and short, because after that we will continue to work towards achieving our war goals.”
REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Netanyahu, meanwhile, insisted on Saturday that the offensive would continue despite a decision last week to allow the first consistent flow of fuel back into Gaza since the start of the war. Israel has notably cut off all but a minimal amount of food, water, fuel and medicine.
REMINDER: reports of a temporary ceasefire agreement should not be treated as fact until confirmed by Israeli officials.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 19, 2023
*********
(TLB) published this article from ZeroHedge as compiled and written by Tyler Durden
Header featured image (edited) credit: A plume of smoke rises above northern Gaza after an Israeli strike. (Photo: AFP/Menahem Kahana)
Emphasis added by (TLB)
••••
••••
Stay tuned to …
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply