After weeks of talks, the Israeli government stated it would maintain a four-day cease-fire in Gaza if Hamas released 50 of the captives it kidnapped last month. In exchange, Israel would exchange approximately 150 Palestinian inmates. The deal's key negotiators, Hamas and Qatar, did not respond immediately.
The Israeli government stated that it is "committed to the return of all abductees home," adding that "the release of every 10 additional abductees will result in an additional day of respite." According to Israeli officials, the agreement cannot be implemented until tomorrow at the earliest to enable time for Israeli judges to evaluate potential legal challenges to the prisoner release.
Fighting would halt during the planned cease-fire, Israeli troops would remain in their current locations, and Israel would refrain from flying surveillance planes over Gaza for six hours every day, according to officials. Civilians currently in southern Gaza would not be permitted to return to the north. /BGNES
