Qatar on Wednesday announced the success of the mediation process, which has resulted in a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The State of Qatar, in a statement, said that the success of its joint mediation efforts undertaken with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) resulted in an agreement for a humanitarian pause.
The starting time of the pause will be announced within the next 24 hours and last for four days, subject to extension, the statement further said. According to the Qatari government, the agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons. The number of those released will increase in later stages of implementing the agreement.
The humanitarian pause will also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs. The statement also said that the State of Qatar affirms its commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians. In this regard, the State of Qatar appreciates the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America in reaching this agreement
Earlier, in an unprecedented vote, the Israel cabinet approved an agreement to secure the release of roughly 50 hostages who were abducted into Gaza during the October 7 terror attack. According to the Israel Prime Minister’s office, the government approved the outline of the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 hostages—women and children—will be released over four days, during which a pause in the fighting will be held. The release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day of pause. The Prime Minister’s office, however, stated that the Government of Israel, the IDF, and the security services will continue the war in order to return home all of the hostages, complete the elimination of Hamas, and ensure that there will be no new threat to the State of Israel from Gaza.
Not all details of the agreement have been formally released to the public. Speaking before the Israeli Cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to ending Hamas.
“We will not relent in our efforts until we redeem them all, until we return them all—the boys and girls, the mothers and fathers, the young men and women, the elderly men and women, the male and female soldiers—all of them. In war, there are stages, and in returning the hostages, there are stages, but we will not relent until we achieve an absolute victory and until we bring them all back. This is my sacred duty, of all of us” he said. The current agreement has sparked hope of relative peace returning to the troubled region of the Middle East, which has been engulfed in conflict since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel.
