The United States, Israel, and Hamas have reportedly reached a tentative agreement to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting.
According to the Washington Post, the parties have drafted a six-page agreement that would halt combat in Gaza for nearly a week so that the 50 women and child hostages by the terrorist group can be released. However, per the deal, no men would be released, and no male or female soldiers would be either.
Hamas took roughly 240 hostages during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that slaughtered more than 1,200 people.
More from the Washington Post:
Israel, the United States, and Hamas have agreed to a tentative deal that would free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting. The release, which could begin within the next several days — barring last-minute hitches — could lead to the first sustained pause in the conflict in Gaza, according to people familiar with its provisions. Under the terms of a detailed, six-page agreement, all parties to the conflict would freeze combat operations for at least five days while an initial 50 or more hostages are released in smaller batches every 24 hours. It was not immediately clear how many of the 239 people believed to be in captivity in Gaza would be released under the deal. Overhead surveillance would monitor movement on the ground to police the pause.
The newspaper noted that overhead surveillance would monitor ground movement to help authorities facilitate the pause.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden's top adviser on the Middle East, Brett McGurk, confirmed that the release of hostage groups would result in the delivery of humanitarian aid and a significant pause of fighting in Gaza.
"The hostages are released; you will see a significant, significant change," Brett McGurk said at Bahrain's IISS Manama Dialogue security summit.
Only four hostages have been freed by Hamas thus far— all being women. The bodies of at least two hostages were found near Shifa Hospital, where Israeli forces continue conducting extensive searches.
Israel has worked tirelessly to get the hostages freed, even trying to negotiate indirectly with the terrorist group.
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