The Washington Examiner : Israel and Hamas agree to temporary ceasefire in exchange for release of 50 hostages by Mike Brest, Defense Reporter November 21, 2023 08:21 PM

 Israel and Hamas agree to temporary ceasefire in exchange for release of 50 hostages

by Mike Brest, Defense Reporter

 November 21, 2023 08:21 PM

The Israeli government has approved a deal that, if fully executed, will secure the release of dozens of hostages who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, added humanitarian aid, and the release of Palestinians held in Israel.

The ceasefire is expected to last for four to five days, and Israel will release three Palestinians in its custody for roughly 50 hostages, all women and children, Hamas releases. The deal also includes a provision that the Red Cross would be granted access to the hostages, which they have previously not had.

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"The release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day in the pause," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. "The Government of Israel, the IDF and the security services will continue the war in order to return home all of the hostages, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that there will be no new threat to the State of Israel from Gaza."

Qatar and the United States have been key negotiators in the weeks that led up to Tuesday's agreement.

The pause, once it goes into effect, "will also result, we hope, in a real surge in humanitarian supplies," a senior U.S. official told reporters ahead of the announcement. Ten Americans are still unaccounted for, the official said, three of whom are women or children, and they could be a part of this first group that is released.

The agreement marks the first time Israel has agreed to a temporary ceasefire since it declared war against Hamas in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that left roughly 1,200 people dead. The vast majority of the victims were civilians, many of whom showed signs of being tortured, brutally attacked, and, in some cases, burnt beyond recognition.

Roughly 240 people are presumed to be among the hostages who have been held in Gaza since the terrorist attacks. Only five have regained their freedom before this agreement, while two others were found dead in Gaza. Hamas is not the only terrorist group that operates out of Gaza, though it is the largest, which adds to the complexities of the agreement.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, one of the smaller terror groups based in Gaza, is said to have about 30 hostages, and it's unclear whether they could be included in any agreement between Hamas and Israel or whether PIJ would abide by a ceasefire orchestrated by Hamas and Israel.

It's also unknown how this agreement will affect any future deal given there will still be more than 150 hostages still in Gaza or whether the first cessation of fighting could change Israel's current course of action.

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U.S. and Israeli officials have said previously they would not support a complete ceasefire in which Hamas remains in power due to the threat that they'd use that time to plan for future attacks and resupply.

There has been precedent for Israel to give up a much larger number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a smaller number of Israelis in return. In October 2011, Hamas released an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, whom they held captive for five years in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.