Talks are now underway between Hamas and Israel that could lead to a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells Haaretz that they are in the final stages of negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage exchange, and that the parties are “the closest they have been to a ceasefire”. Al Jaazera reports the same.
The talks will include a prisoner exchange. Hamas official Izzat el Reshiq tells Al Jazeera.
The terms of a temporary ceasefire would include the release of Israeli women and children in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.
Several Israeli media on Tuesday morning quoted Israeli officials as saying that a hostage deal in exchange for a ceasefire is imminent.
In the statement from Haniyeh, he says nothing about how long the ceasefire may last, nor how many hostages may have to be released.
According to The Washington Post, several details of the agreement are already in place.
The newspaper has spoken to anonymous sources close to the Biden administration who say that initially there is talk of releasing 50 Israeli women and children in batches from the Gaza Strip.
In exchange for this, Israel is willing to agree to a five-day ceasefire, as well as send in the necessary emergency aid, food supplies and fuel to Gaza.
According to Reuters, Ismail Haniyeh is said to have said that Hamas and Israel are approaching a ceasefire in a statement sent to them via an aide, and according to AFP on the Telegram messaging service.
Photo: AP
“Few hours left”
According to analysts, the ceasefire could become a reality in just a few hours.
Abdelhamid Siyam, a professor at Rutgers University, tells Al Jazeera that the agreement will probably be announced from Doha “within the next 12 hours”.
He believes that what remains now is to clarify the actual length of the ceasefire, the number of hostages to be released and how much humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza, especially in terms of fuel.
He further says that the break will probably last between three and five days.
Qatar is central
Hamas has sent its response to a draft agreement to officials in Qatar, Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement to Reuters.
Qatar has been central to the diplomacy of the war between Israel and Hamas. Large parts of the Hamas leadership are also in the country.
An agreement has not yet been confirmed, and it is not known when this will possibly happen.
The Israeli army has not commented on the claims by Hamas.
Israel’s government has said several times that it will not discuss a ceasefire until all the hostages are released.
New attacks
Also on the night of Tuesday, new attacks are reported in the 46th day of the war.
17 people were killed in an Israeli air strike against the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The IDF has not yet commented on the attack.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide emphasizes that the parties to the conflict are obliged to protect civilians.
– If you are to defend yourself against terrorism, it must be done in line with the rules of international law, including humanitarian law, he emphasizes.
No Norwegians out
No Norwegian citizens may leave Gaza on Tuesday. It appears on Tuesday’s evacuation list, reports Dagbladet. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms this information to NTB.
A total of 212 Norwegian citizens have escaped from the war-torn area through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt in recent days. Most of these are in place in Norway.
There are still just under 60 people with connections to Norway in the Gaza Strip, according to the Foreign Ministry.
“Closer than ever”
On Monday, US President Joe Biden said that an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages was approaching.
At a news conference Monday evening, John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said they were “closer than ever” to the release of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
He would not, however, elaborate on the details of a potential agreement and stressed that they have not come to fruition.
Netanyahu: “Holy mission”
At least 237 civilians and soldiers are being held captive by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip after Hamas soldiers attacked southern Israel on 7 October. Five have been released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met several of the hostages’ families on Monday evening. Getting the hostages home safely is a “sacred mission,” he told the families.
– We will not rest until we have completed the mission, Netanyahu told the families, according to Haaretz.
2023-11-21 09:35:37
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