GAZA/TEL AVIV, ISRAEL —
The first hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza are expected to be released Thursday, when Israel is due to begin a four-day pause in its attacks on Gaza under an agreement announced by the warring parties.
Qatar, which helped broker the deal along with the United States and Egypt, said Hamas, in stages, would release 50 women and children in the coming days, while Israel is expected to free 150 Palestinian prisoners.
None of the identities of those being freed has been disclosed, but U.S. officials said they believe some of the nine American hostages believed to be held by Hamas will be among those released.
Fighting continued Wednesday ahead of the truce, set to take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday. Explosions were seen over Gaza and Hamas fired missiles into Israel.
One airstrike hit a residential building in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, reportedly killing 17 people, including children, while in northern Gaza about 60 bodies and 200 people wounded by heavy fighting were brought into the Kamal Adwan Hospital overnight.
The hospital’s director, Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout, told Al-Jazeera television on Wednesday that the medical center is using cooking oil to keep its generator running. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza said 128 bodies were brought in overnight after nearby strikes, more than double the number that arrived Tuesday night.
The deal encompassing the hostage-prisoner release and temporary truce evolved after weeks of stop-and-start negotiations amid the continuing bloodshed in Gaza.
Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched a cross-border attack on Oct. 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed that day and about 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 12,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,000 children, have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for helping broker the deal. Biden praised “the commitment” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the brief stop in the fighting “to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza.”
But Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting “until we achieve all our goals,” including the destruction of Hamas’ fighting and governing abilities and the return of all hostages.
Several countries, including Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.
Qatar’s Tamim said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and “serious talks” on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
