50 Israelis against 150 Palestinians – why does Hamas want it?
Days of speculation about a temporary ceasefire look set to become reality. Both parties are under pressure. Israel above all from a very vocal family group, which demands that the hostage issue has the highest priority.
Hamas is under pressure. On the one hand, they are pushed back by the Israeli army, and they also have to keep order with 240, or in a few days, 190 hostages. It is not an easy task. The important question for Hamas is whether there will later be a possible prisoner exchange with soldiers. They are Hamas’s trump card and that will be the big and difficult issue to solve.
In the agreement, approximately 50 of the hostages will be released – women and children – about ten a day for four days. At the same time, 150 Palestinians are released, including women and children.
But Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasizes at the same time that the war will continue and that Hamas must be wiped out.
How the Israeli war cabinet envisages a continued exchange during an intense military offensive is unclear, but the pressure from the family group is unlikely to decrease.
What does the agreement mean for affected civilians?
The immense suffering of the civilian population in Gaza is alleviated somewhat when the borders are opened for humanitarian aid. It is expected that 300 trucks will arrive perhaps already today with fuel for the hospitals, food, water and medicines. But that’s just a drop in the ocean, of course. The needs after almost 50 days of blockade are enormous, with most hospitals in Gaza closed and where hundreds of thousands of residents are starving and more than 1.5 million are displaced, without housing or shelter.
And according to Hamas’ health ministry, 13,300 Gazans have been killed, including more than 5,500 children.
When does the agreement come into force?
The Israeli parliament Knesset last night said yes to the prisoner exchange agreement. But barring bureaucratic and legal complications, the exchange will begin tomorrow morning if all goes according to plan. problems means that it can start, if everything goes according to plan, tomorrow. We don’t know in detail how that will happen. We know that it has been said that the International Red Cross should be allowed to participate. They must also be given the right to access the part of the hostages that will not be released.
In Qatar, talks continue about the next step in the process.
The role of the United States cannot be overestimated and the small, controversial gas and oil-rich nation has left its clear mark on international diplomacy.