Israel and Hamas have agreed to a deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The deal includes Hamas releasing at least 50 hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners being held unjustly in Israeli prisons.
Israel has agreed to suspend its genocidal assault on Gaza for four days. Offensive operations are likely to be halted on Thursday. The pause is subject to extension after the four days by one additional day for every 10 hostages that Hamas releases after the initial group.
The first 50 Israeli hostages to be released in the beginning are reportedly mainly women and children. However, Palestinian resistance groups have stated that Israeli non-civilian hostages will not be released. Most of the 150 Palestinians who will be released are also women and children.
Other significant clauses included in the deal are Israel allowing for the delivery of more humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and fuel to Gaza, as well as a complete stop to Israeli air operations in Gaza, including surveillance by drones.
Furthermore, Israel will allow for Palestinian movement using the Salah al-Din road from the northern part of Gaza to the South and has also committed to not arrest any Palestinians during the period of the truce.
A number of governments around the world, such as the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Qatar, as well as the Palestinian Authority have welcomed news of the ceasefire, with Qatari authorities hoping that the truce would lead to completely ending the war.
Meanwhile, even as the news of the deal was coming out, Israeli air and ground attacks were continuing in various parts of Gaza, killing and injuring several Palestinians. Israeli security forces reportedly attacked the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza while also continuing to lay siege on the Indonesian hospital and forcibly evacuating everyone taking refuge inside the hospital.
Additionally, nine Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, including several children. A number of Palestinians were also killed in another Israeli air strike in the al-Fallujah area in the Jabalya refugee camp in Northern Gaza.
The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli war on Gaza crossed the 14,000-mark on Wednesday, November 22. An overwhelming majority of those killed are women and children. As per the latest data, more than 5,840 children and 3,920 women have been killed so far. Another 33,000 Palestinians have been injured, while the number of missing has increased to 6,800, many of whom are presumed dead or still trapped under the rubble.
Reports noted that among those killed in attacks on Tuesday were two journalists, taking the number of journalists killed by Israel since the start of the war on October 7 to at least 50. Furthermore, due to the constant Israeli bombardment, all of the hospitals in Gaza have now been rendered non-functional, according to the health ministry.
Israeli violence and repression against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank also claimed several Palestinian lives, besides dozens of Palestinians being wounded and arrested by Israeli security forces. Among those killed was one Palestinian in Hebron and one in Jenin. Both were killed in a raid where Israeli soldiers started firing live bullets at Palestinians resisting the illegal and violent invasions.
Reports state that the occupation forces carried out raids in places such as Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, among others.
In Jenin, Palestinian resistance fighters clashed with the invading Israeli soldiers and engaged them in gunfights. During the raids, Israeli security forces detained at least 45 Palestinians.
The mass detention has taken the number of those arrested in the occupied West Bank since October 7 to over 3,000, and the total number of Palestinians currently being held in Israeli prisons well over 8000, including at least 2,200 administrative detainees, being held in prison without charge or trial.
