Johnathan Paoli
Israel-Hamas conflict mediator Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari says an agreement to cease hostilities in the Gaza Strip for another two days as part of his country’s ongoing mediation process with the support of the US and Egypt – has been reached.
This agreement comes after the initial truce over the weekend where a total of 50 civilian hostages, women and children, were expected to be freed by Hamas in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.
During its first three days, 39 Israeli hostages were freed by the militant group in exchange for 117 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails as part of the deal between the two sides.
As a result of parallel negotiations led by the Gulf state, 17 Thais, one Filipino and one dual Russian-Israeli national have also been released by the Palestinian militants.
On Sunday, Hamas released 17 more captives – 14 Israelis and three Thais – the highest number so far.
Eleven hostages were released on Monday, including six Argentinians, three French citizens and two Germans.
Over the past several days, Palestinian groups in Gaza have released captives in exchange for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, many of whom are women and children who have been held without trial.
In addition, the pause in fighting has allowed for increased shipments of aid into the region, where a relentless Israeli assault and siege of the territory has created a dire humanitarian crisis.
INSIDE POLITICS
