On 24 November, Israel and Hamas announced a four-day temporary truce, which is very good news for the people of Gaza, the Palestinians and the world at large. During the truce, the Qassam Brigades, an armed branch of Hamas, will cease all military operations with Israel. In accordance with the truce, Israeli military aircraft will cease flying over the southern part of the Gaza Corridor completely and will cease flying over the northern part of the Gaza Corridor and Gaza City for six hours daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This move created conditions for the exchange of hostages between the two sides.
Expansion: The announcement of a temporary truce has given the people of Gaza a respite to avoid the threat of war and return to normal life for a while. At the same time, it has given the international community and relevant organizations some time to provide humanitarian assistance and assistance to the victims in order to alleviate the serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
According to the spokesperson of Qatar, the first batch of hostages will be released at 4 pm local time on the 24th, and then a total of 50 hostages will be released one after another in 4 days. These hostages include elderly women, among others. The hostages will be transferred through the ICRC and the Egyptian security mission and eventually returned to Israel. At the same time, Israel will release 39 Palestinian detainees, including 24 women and 15 juveniles, in exchange for 13 Israeli hostages to be released on the first day.
According to the Israeli side, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 and caused a large number of **. The Israeli side believes that the truce is only a temporary ceasefire, and if Hamas can continue to release 10 hostages per day, then the two sides may extend the ceasefire agreement. Palestinian sources said that the total number of hostages released by Hamas could reach 100.
However, despite the truce and hostage exchange agreement, the Israeli military continues its military operations. In recent days, the Israeli military has carried out a fierce attack on the largest hospital in Gaza, the Shifa Hospital, claiming that the hospital contains Hamas fighters. This action has drawn strong condemnation from the international community, as the Shifa Hospital is the most important hospital in the Gaza Strip and a shelter for many children and patients.
In order to justify its attack on the Shifa hospital in front of the international community, the Israeli side, after taking control of the Shifa hospital, showed the outside world a series of reinforced underground tunnels that Hamas had built under the hospital. According to the Israeli military, the underground tunnels are Hamas's command posts and feature facilities such as bathrooms, kitchens and meeting rooms. At the same time, they also showed ** the guns, grenades and ** objects seized in the compound of the Shifa hospital.
Not only that, but the Israeli military also arrested and interrogated the director of the Hefa hospital. The Palestinian side called on the international community to pay attention to and put an end to Israel's acts of aggression and stated that the Israeli accusations were baseless. They strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the hospital and accused Israel of trying to justify its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In short, the temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange are a glimmer of de-escalation in the conflict and a respite for the people of Gaza. At the same time, however, Israel continues its military campaign against the Gaza Strip, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and the escalation of the conflict. The international community calls on all parties to exercise restraint, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire as soon as possible and to properly address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.