DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip – A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was slated to begin Friday morning, Qatar said, after a daylong delay prolonged the pain for those expecting for relief from the accord, which is expected to result in the release of scores of hostages held by terrorists and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The diplomatic breakthrough offered some relief to the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have been subjected to weeks of Israeli shelling, as well as relatives in Israel who are concerned about the fate of loved ones kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught, which began the war.
The cease-fire was supposed to start Thursday morning, but it appeared to encounter a hitch the night before when Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay with no explanation.
Israeli airstrikes resumed on Thursday. A strike in the afternoon destroyed a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. According to officials from adjacent Al-Aqsa Hospital, at least 12 individuals were murdered.
According to one neighbor, Hosni Moharib, his wife and numerous children were slain, and other relatives were buried beneath the wreckage.
“It exploded on the house, injuring babies and small children.” “Everyone in the house is dead,” he added, breaking down in sobs.
Qatar Says Gaza Cease-Fire Will Begin Friday Morning, With Aid To Follow ‘As Soon As Possible’
According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which has restarted its precise count of victims from the war, the Israeli shelling has killed almost 13,300 Palestinians. The ministry had stopped reporting casualty statistics since November 11, claiming that it had lost the ability to do so due to the health system’s collapse in the north.
The new figures were not thoroughly broken down, but women and kids have regularly accounted for roughly two-thirds of those killed. The figures do not contain the most recent data from northern hospitals. According to the ministry, 6,000 people have gone missing and are believed to be buried under rubble.
In its death statistics, the ministry makes no distinction between civilians and terrorists. Israel claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters without providing evidence.
The Israeli military stated it was targeting the launchers. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a month-long battle in 2006, have routinely exchanged fire across the border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to prolong the war until the truce ends to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, terminate its 16-year control in Gaza, and return all 240 detainees held by Hamas and other factions in Gaza.
“We will continue it until we achieve all of our goals,” Netanyahu said, adding that he had communicated the same warning to US President Joe Biden over the phone. Since the beginning of the war, Washington has offered substantial military and political support to Israel.
Qatar Says Gaza Cease-Fire Will Begin Friday Morning, With Aid To Follow ‘As Soon As Possible’
Palestinians in Gaza’s Khan Younis welcomed the imminent cease-fire but warned four days would do little to alleviate the humanitarian calamity caused by the war.
“God willing, it becomes a total cease-fire,” Jihan Qanan stated. “People have had their houses thrown down on their heads, and they have been banished… There are no homes, money, or goods. “The entire world has been destroyed.”
The military claimed Thursday that it had detained Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, for questioning about his involvement in “extensive” Hamas activities at the hospital. The Gaza Health Ministry decried Abu Selmia’s arrest and urged foreign organizations to help.
A day before, Israel revealed a tunnel and rooms beneath Shifa that military sources claimed were a key Hamas stronghold. Shifa was used as a militant command center, according to Hamas and medical staff. According to Hagari, Israel has mapped Shifa Hospital and intends to eliminate every “terror infrastructure” discovered.
The truce agreement calls for the release of 50 hostages in phases in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian detainees, according to Hamas. Women and children will be released first, and Israel announced the cease-fire would be extended by one day for every ten hostages released.
Qatar Says Gaza Cease-Fire Will Begin Friday Morning, With Aid To Follow ‘As Soon As Possible’
The release of captives could raise spirits in Israel, where their misery has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have launched massive protests to put pressure on the government to release them. Netanyahu’s administration announced Friday that it had alerted the relatives of the hostages slated for release.
According to Hamas, 200 trucks bringing aid will enter Gaza each day. Qatar has stated that the aid will include fuel but has not specified how much.
At the commencement of the conflict, Israel cut off all imports save for a trickle of food, water, and medical supplies permitted by Egypt. Fuel shortages have resulted in a territory-wide blackout, leaving families and hospitals relying on failing generators.
The Israeli Justice Ministry announced a list of 300 convicts eligible for release; the majority of them were jailed in the previous year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.
The conflict erupted when thousands of Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping scores of hostages, including babies, women, and elderly people, as well as soldiers, from whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.
SOURCE – (AP)
