Israel Government Votes to Approve Cease-Fire if Hostages Are Freed
The Israeli government said it will uphold a brief cease-fire in Gaza if Hamas freed 50 hostages
The Israeli government has approved a deal for the release of hostages captured by Hamas in exchange for a brief cease-fire in Gaza.
The decision was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in a WhatsApp message early Wednesday, according to the New York Times. In exchange for a 4-day pause in the fighting in Gaza, the agreement would see the release of at least 50 hostages seized by Hamas during its attack last month on Israel, per a government statement. This would mark the longest truce in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war since it began on Oct. 7.
“The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abductees home,” the government said, per NYT. The statement continued: “Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 abductees — women and children — will be released for 4 days, during which there will be a lull in the fighting. The release of every 10 additional abductees will result in an additional day of respite.”
Since the war erupted, Hamas and its allies in Gaza have seized about 240 hostages, and roughly 1,200 people have died since the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults on Gaza began, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory, and nearly 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza since the conflict began, a UN agency stated.
The Israeli government said it will uphold a brief cease-fire in Gaza if Hamas freed 50 hostages
The Israeli government has approved a deal for the release of hostages captured by Hamas in exchange for a brief cease-fire in Gaza.
The decision was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in a WhatsApp message early Wednesday, according to the New York Times. In exchange for a 4-day pause in the fighting in Gaza, the agreement would see the release of at least 50 hostages seized by Hamas during its attack last month on Israel, per a government statement. This would mark the longest truce in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war since it began on Oct. 7.
“The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abductees home,” the government said, per NYT. The statement continued: “Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 abductees — women and children — will be released for 4 days, during which there will be a lull in the fighting. The release of every 10 additional abductees will result in an additional day of respite.”
Since the war erupted, Hamas and its allies in Gaza have seized about 240 hostages, and roughly 1,200 people have died since the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults on Gaza began, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory, and nearly 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza since the conflict began, a UN agency stated.