Gaza cease-fire to begin Thursday as Israel releases detainee list
The four-day truce agreed between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas will take effect at 10 a.m. local time (8 a.m. GMT) Thursday, according to Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV.
Egypt, along with Qatar, helped mediate the four-day cease-fire, which will facilitate the release of dozens of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 incursion of southern Israel.
The deal will also see the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israeli media also reported that the truce would begin Thursday at 10 a.m.
In a related development, Israel’s Justice Ministry released Wednesday a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners included in a swap deal with Hamas.
The list includes detainees belonging to various Palestinian resistance groups such as Hamas, Fatah, the Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The list was posted on the ministry’s website to give the Israeli public 24 hours to appeal to the court against the release of any name in the list.
The publication of the list came shortly after Israel and Hamas announced the truce-for-hostage deal early Wednesday.
Under the agreement, 50 Israelis held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, Israeli media reported.
The agreement for the truce also allows an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack, killing more than 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
Source: AA
