News - Israel, Hamas agree on temporary ceasefire, hostage release

Israel and Hamas have agreed on a temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange after the Israeli government voted in favor of the agreement. Accordingly, Hamas will release 30 Israeli children and 20 women from its 240 hostages, Haaretz reports. In exchange, Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners. An official informed the newspaper that Hamas could also release the foreign hostages in accordance with the agreements. As part of this deal, which was concluded with the mediation of Qatar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the hostages who have not been released will receive medicines, and the Red Cross will visit them. The ceasefire will last four to five days. Netanyahu's office announced that the release of each additional 10 hostages would add one more day to the cessation of hostilities. But Netanyahu rejected the idea that the hostilities could be suspended for a longer period of time.