The White House is holding back on the agreement between Israel and Hamas on the release of the hostages in exchange for a truce which, according to the Washington Post, is close. “There is no agreement yet,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson declared on social media X, adding that the United States “continues to work hard to reach an agreement.”
The agreement between Israel and Hamas according to the Washington Post
Israel and Hamas are close to a US-brokered deal that would see the release of dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting, the Washington Post wrote, citing sources familiar with the matter. he agreement that the release of the hostages, which is expected to begin in the next few days – barring any last-minute hitches – could lead to the first prolonged pause in the conflict in Gaza.
Under the terms of a detailed six-page agreement, all sides to the conflict will freeze combat operations for at least five days while the first 50 or more of the 239 hostages will be released in batches every 24 hours. The halt in fighting is also aimed at allowing a significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, including fuel.
The general lines of the agreement, specifies the Washington Post, were outlined during weeks of talks in Doha – Qatar – between Israel, the United States and Hamas, represented by Qatari mediators, according to reports from Arab diplomats and beyond, but Until now it was unclear whether the Jewish state would agree to temporarily suspend its offensive.
What Israeli TV says
Israeli TV N12, after the Washington Post, also reported a possible agreement on the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to TV, Hamas has signaled that it is ready in principle to release 87 hostages. Among these are 53 Israeli women, children and young people and 34 foreigners.
In exchange, Israel is expected to implement a five-day ceasefire in the Strip and release an unspecified number of women and minors from its prisons. Hamas calls for more fuel to be allowed into the Palestinian enclave.
N12 specifies, however, that it is not yet clear whether the agreement will go through given that the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya al-Sinwar, has not yet given a clear and definitive answer through the mediators in Qatar.
MSF: “Deliberate attack against our convoy in Gaza, one dead and one injured”
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports that a family member of a staff member was killed and a senior member was injured in an “attack” against a convoy of the humanitarian organization that was trying to evacuate 137 people trapped for a week due to clashes around the al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza. The attack – MSF specifies in a note in which it condemns “this deliberate aggression in the strongest terms” – took place yesterday afternoon.
The MSF convoy, “made up of five vehicles with the organisation’s clearly recognizable symbol (even on the roofs)”, left at 9am yesterday with 137 people, made up of members of MSF’s Palestinian staff and their families, including including 65 children. The convoy left the MSF premises (guesthouse, office and clinic located near al-Shifa hospital) towards southern Gaza to reach a safer place. Since 11 November these people have been trapped due to fighting and since then MSF has repeatedly called for their safe evacuation.
“MSF had informed both parties in the conflict of this movement”, continues the note, according to which the convoy “followed the route indicated by the Israeli army” and reached the Salah Al Deen road, together with other civilians who were trying to leave the area. He then headed towards the last checkpoint near Wadi Gaza, which was overcrowded at the time due to the long checks on Palestinians by Israeli forces. Despite the information shared with the Israeli army, “the MSF convoy was not allowed to cross the checkpoint for hours. While waiting, MSF staff heard gunshots, out of fear the convoy decided to return to the headquarters of MSF, located about 7 km from the checkpoint.
“On the way back, between 3.30pm and 4pm, the convoy was attacked in Al-Wehda street, near the intersection with Said Al A’as street, near the MSF office. Two MSF vehicles were deliberately hit, killing a family member of one staff member and wounding another. MSF is once again calling for urgent evacuation of its staff and thousands of other people, trapped by the fighting and living in dire conditions in the north of Gaza – the note concludes – MSF calls for an immediate ceasefire, the only way to obtain safe evacuation corridors for thousands of civilians”.
At least 15 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli raids on the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, according to which 13 people died in an attack on a house in the Nuseirat camp, in the central area of Gaza, while a woman and her son were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis.
WHO: “Al-Shifa hospital has become a death zone”
The al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, has become “a killing zone”. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this, announcing plans to evacuate the facility. The WHO assessment came following a visit to the hospital by officials from the organization itself and the United Nations.
Hezbollah launches dozens of rockets, Israel responds with raids in southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted raids against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in retaliation for the launch of dozens of rockets by the Shiite group against several Israeli locations on the border with the Land of Cedars. The media of the Jewish state reported it, specifying that Hezbollah rockets fell in uninhabited areas.
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