Ceasefire in Gaza

Israel and Hamas likely to agree on ceasefire

According to the agreement, which has not yet been officially announced by the two sides, Hamas will initially release 33 Israeli hostages, according to insiders. These include all the women, children and men over 50 who are being held.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/AFP/David GANNON ASSOCIATED PRESS)

US President-elect Donald Trump has announced an agreement on the "hostages in the Middle East". "They will be released soon", he announced on Wednesday. 

Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas also reached an agreement on Wednesday for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, according to the media outlet Axios. Axios referred to US circles.

According to information from circles within the Islamist organization, Hamas in the Gaza Strip has agreed in writing to an agreement that provides for a ceasefire and the release of further hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners. According to an insider, the agreement between Israel and Hamas provides for an initial six-week ceasefire. 

An electronic billboard in Tel Aviv: US President-elect Donald Trump refers to his threat to unleash hell if the hostages held in Gaza are not released by the time of his inauguration.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Initially 33 hostages will be released
According to the agreement, which has not yet been officially announced by the two sides, Hamas will initially release 33 Israeli hostages, according to insiders. Hamas will release female hostages - civilians and soldiers - and minors under the age of 19 first, followed by men over the age of 50. Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody for every civilian hostage. For every female Israeli soldier held by Hamas, 50 Palestinian prisoners would be released. In total, the extremists are holding around 100 hostages in the Gaza Strip.

According to the as yet unofficial agreement between Hamas and Israel, 600 truckloads of aid are to be delivered to the Gaza Strip every day. 300 trucks are earmarked for the north of the Gaza Strip. Fuel is also to be brought to the largely destroyed coastal strip.

However, the agreement was not officially announced on Wednesday. In return for the release of the hostages, Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli custody. The Israeli military is to gradually withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government is expected to vote on Thursday on an agreement with Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages held there. This is according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Israeli government likely to vote on Gaza agreement on Thursday
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar will cut short his trip to Europe so that he can take part in the vote of the security cabinet and the government on the agreement. "Due to the progress in the hostage release negotiations, Minister Saar has cut short his diplomatic visit, which was to have continued tomorrow in Hungary. He will return to Israel this evening to take part in the expected discussions and consultations in the Security Cabinet and the government," the Foreign Ministry explained.

Qatar announces press conference
The mediator Qatar announces a press conference, but without giving a time. An insider said it would take place in the evening. An invitation from the state news agency states that the conference will be chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. He is also Foreign Minister. Qatar, Egypt and the USA have been mediating in the conflict in recent months.

On Wednesday afternoon, however, it was still unclear whether the terrorist organization Hamas had already officially agreed to the deal with Israel. While an Israeli representative said that Hamas military chief Mohammed Sinwar had accepted the plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Hamas had not yet responded.