Israel's cabinet approved a ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terrorist group that would bring a temporary halt to the devastating war that is now in its seventh week.
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The government said that under an outline of the deal, Hamas is to free at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack over a four-day period. Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, later confirmed the deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before the cabinet voted early Wednesday that the war would continue even if a deal was reached.
Israel, the United States, and Qatar have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid.
Israel says Hamas uses civilians and hospitals as shields, while critics say Israel's siege and relentless aerial bombardment amount to collective punishment of the territory's 2.3 million Palestinians after Hamas' Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel.
Qatar has confirmed an agreement for a ceasefire and swap between Israel and Hamas, saying the start time will be announced in the next 24 hours and that it will last for four days.
The statement early Wednesday morning from Qatar's Foreign Ministry described the talks that produced the agreement as a mediation by Egypt, the United States, and Qatar for a "humanitarian pause."
Video: Mixed-gender Shachar Battalion joins fighting / Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
"The starting time of the pause will be announced within the next 24 hours and last for four days, subject to extension," the statement said. "The agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement."
It added that the ceasefire would "allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs." It offered no specifics on that, however.
Hostage releases will begin roughly 24 hours after the ceasefire deal is approved by all parties, said a senior White House official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matters. The government of Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The effort to free all of the roughly 240 hostages seized by Hamas in its brazen Oct. 7 attack began when Qatar approached the US and Israel and quietly established a group to coordinate, the official said. The group's efforts led to the release of two American citizens, Natalie and Judith Raanan. Their release proved their system could work and that intensified the process for larger-scale release, according to the official. Intense negotiations have continued since.
The government said the first hostages to be released would be women and children. It was not immediately clear when the truce would go into effect. Netanyahu convened his cabinet for the vote late Tuesday. The meeting stretched well into the early hours Wednesday.
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