Israel, Hamas agree four-day ceasefire, release of 50 hostages in swap deal

Israel and Hamas have agreed on a first ceasefire in Gaza which will last for four days to let in aid and release at least 50 hostages captured by militants in a swap deal in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

The first truce which was reached on Wednesday, followed intensive mediation by Qatar which is seen as a first step towards ending the bloody war which has led to the death of about 15,000 people and could ease the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.

The truce would also mean bringing home Israeli hostages who were captured by the Hamas militant group when they invaded southern Israel on October 7.

The official start time for the truce is expected to be announced within 24 hours, with the first hostages to go free on Thursday.

An official statement from the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said 50 women and children would be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 per day.

“Israel’s government is committed to return all the hostages home. Tonight, it approved the proposed deal as a first stage to achieving this goal,” said the government statement.

In its own statement, Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails.

Part of the ceasefire agreement states that hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies would be allowed to enter Gaza, while Israel would halt all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintain a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window in the north.

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