A four-day truce brokered by Qatar has come into effect in Israel’s war on Gaza. The first break after seven weeks of bombing was greeted with relief by the Palestinians.
During the humanitarian truce in the fighting, which began at 7:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) on Friday, 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and 50 captives held by the Hamas armed group in Gaza are expected to be released.
The first releases, which will see the release of 39 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, are expected on Friday afternoon.
In the hours before the start of the truce, Israeli bombardment intensified in the Gaza Strip, with attacks in Rafah and the town of Khan Younis in the south, as well as constant artillery bombardment in the north. ‘enclave.
Almog Boker, correspondent for Israeli channel 13, posted a video online showing Israeli soldiers celebrating from afar the destruction of several buildings in the northern Gaza Strip in the last hour before the start of the truce.
בשעה האחרונה שלפני הפסקת האש, כוחות צה”ל השמידו תוואי מנהרות תת קרק ‘. pic.twitter.com/FHabuf2C6r
– Almog Boker (@bokeralmog) November 24, 2023
The first break in fighting was greeted with enormous relief by Palestinians, who were happy to be safe from Israeli bombardment for the first time in weeks, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Khan Younis , in southern Gaza.
“This is the first time we haven’t heard Israeli drones since this round of fighting began,” he said. “People feel there is a glimmer of hope that this short-term pause will pave the way for a longer ceasefire. »
Indispensable help
Under the terms of the agreement, much-needed aid will be allowed to enter Gaza. The enclave has been under a total Israeli blockade since the war was sparked by the Hamas attack on October 7.
Egypt said 130,000 liters of diesel and four truckloads of gasoline would be delivered to Gaza daily for four days. A total of 200 trucks carrying aid are expected to enter Gaza daily.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Youmna ElSayed, reporting from the Rafah border crossing, said the flow of trucks carrying fuel and gas had begun.
More aid would begin arriving and the first captives, including elderly women, would be released at 4 p.m. (2 p.m. GMT), Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in Doha. The total number of hostages to be released by Hamas will be 50 over the four days.
Surveillance truce
Qatar will monitor the truce in real time for possible violations, Tel Aviv Tribune’s James Bays reported from Doha.
“Qatar has an operations room here in Doha where they will get real-time information on Gaza. They have direct links with the Israeli army, with Hamas,” he said.
“The idea is that if there is any violation, because of these direct links, they are going to try to nip it in the bud and make sure that this truce can continue, that this process can continue for four days,” he added. ” he added.
Fighting raged in the hours before the truce, with officials in the Hamas-run enclave saying a hospital in Gaza City was among the bombed targets.
Both sides also indicated that the pause would be temporary before fighting resumes.
The Indonesian hospital was under relentless bombardment, operating without lights and filled with bedridden elderly people and children too weak to be moved, Gaza health officials said.
Munir al-Bursh, director of Gaza’s health ministry, told Tel Aviv Tribune that one injured woman was killed and three others injured.
Israel launched its devastating invasion of Gaza after Hamas gunmen burst through the border fence on October 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing around 240 prisoners, according to Israeli counts.
Since then, Israel has rained bombs on the besieged enclave, killing more than 14,000 people in Gaza, about 40 percent of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
‘I want to go home’
As soon as the fighting stopped, thousands of displaced Palestinians left to check their homes in the central and southern areas of the enclave, reports Tel Aviv Tribune’s Wael Dahdouh from Khan Younis.
“One man said: ‘I want to go home and even if it is destroyed, I want to stay there. I want to die there,” the correspondent reported.
“A woman with a child said, ‘I pray these days are longer and longer, just to feel safe for a day or two.’
However, the Israeli military said its forces would be stationed on the truce lines and would not allow Palestinians to move towards northern Gaza.