Kochi : In a major breakthrough, Israel and Hamas have agreed to halt aggression for four days to exchange hostages by both sides and allow inflow of essentials, media reports said.
The truce will also help to bring aid to Gaza which came under attack from Israel after Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 killing thousands.The war has rendered hundreds of thousands homeless and pushed thousands to the southern end of the Gaza strip.
Qatar and Egypt played a key role in holding negotiations and bringing the two warring groups around. The US has thanked the two countries for their efforts in bringing temporary truce that is likely to come into effect from Thursday. Fifty hostages will be freed in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war until their goals are achieved. About 240 hostages including those from other countries like the US are believed to be held captive by Hamas which seized power in Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began. Over 10 million Palestinians have been displaced in the war which has triggered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essentials, the reports said.
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