It has been announced that a four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin on Friday, November 23, 2023, morning, a day later than originally announced.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, disclosed that the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time (5 a.m. GMT.)
He revealed that the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of hostages held by Hamas, including 13 women and children, would be freed Friday afternoon at 4pm local time (14:00 GMT).
Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter “as soon as possible,” al-Ansari said, adding, “Obviously every day will include a number of civilians as agreed to total 50 within the four days.”
Al-Ansari noted that he cannot disclose information about the routes the captives will take out of Gaza for “security reasons.”
“Our main objective here is the safety of the hostages,” he told reporters.
“We will be focusing on making sure that they get there safely through our operations room,” he said, adding that there will be collaboration with the Red Cross and the parties to the conflict.
Al-Ansari stated that the criteria on which to prioritize the hostages were purely humanitarian, and focus was placed on getting the women and children out of harm’s way as soon as possible.
He added that the hope was that “the momentum carried by this deal will help us get everybody out in time and at the same time, of course, lessen the hardship of the people in Gaza through the humanitarian pause that is taking place.”
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson added that humanitarian aid is “an integral part” of the deal.
“We are expecting aid to go in as soon as possible from the Rafah crossing,” al-Ansari said.
He admitted that the aid will be a “fraction” of the need in Gaza, saying, “the need is so great in Gaza.”
“Of course, our aim is for this deal to end with a lasting truce,” he added.
Al-Ansari told reporters that he cannot disclose how many Palestinian prisoners will be released on Friday.
“But I can tell you that the deal is reciprocal, so we’re expecting a release to happen also on the Israeli side.”
Commenting on what would constitute a breakdown of the truce, al-Ansari remarked, “The agreement is about full cessation of hostilities within the four days so obviously any resumption of hostilities of any kind would be a breach.”
“It’s very important that lines of communication remain open so that any possible breach, however it is defined, is communicated immediately to both sides and there is a way to walk back from it and make sure we continue with [the deal].”
Majed al-Ansari
In response to a question about other fronts, al-Ansari said that the pause covers “only the Gaza Strip.”
He clarified that Qatar’s mediation was between Hamas and Israel.
He averred, “We are not talking about other fronts. We talk specifically about the situation in Gaza.”
Asked about whether there was a sense that both parties desired a permanent ceasefire, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson responded, “What we have felt is that they are committed to this highly.
“Our aim is to reach this agreement and to pave the way for more pauses that can put an end to this war that everyone is suffering from. Hopefully, the end will be very soon and we need to build this and that in order to reach a lasting permanent ceasefire.”
Majed al-Ansari
Israel To Continue Intense Fighting After Truce
On the hand, Israel Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, has said the military will resume fighting against Hamas “with intensity” for at least two more months once the “short” temporary pause ends.
Addressing troops of the Israeli navy special operations unit on Thursday, Gallant was quoted as saying, “What you will see in the coming days is first the release of hostages. This respite will be short.”
He told troops to “organise, get ready, investigate, resupply arms, and get ready to continue” during the ceasefire.
“There will be a continuation, because we need to complete the victory and create the impetus for the next groups of hostages, who will only come back as a result of pressure.”
Yoav Gallant
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