The Israeli cabinet has approved a four-day ceasefire in Gaza as part of an agreement mediated by Qatar. In exchange for the ceasefire, Hamas will release 50 hostages in the first phase, including 30 children and 20 women. The release will occur at a rate of 12 hostages per day over the next four days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that while the ceasefire is in place, the war will not end completely. If Hamas agrees to release more hostages after the four-day period, Israel has decided to continue the ceasefire.
This temporary ceasefire marks a crucial step towards peace after 46 days of conflict in West Asia. The agreement was reached following negotiations mediated by Qatar, and all but three ministers in the 38-member Israeli cabinet agreed to the ceasefire. However, protests have arisen against Netanyahu for his perceived inability to secure the release of hostages during the ongoing conflict.
Meeting of Arab Ambassadors in Ireland.
In Ireland, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called a meeting of Arab ambassadors, urging Arab countries to pressure for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The issue of imprisoned Irish woman Emily Hand was raised, and Varadkar sought support from Arab countries for her release. He also emphasised the need for an immediate ceasefire and called for increased aid to reach affected civilians.
China also wants to stop the war.
China expressed its intent to work with Arab-Islamic countries to end the conflict in Gaza. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for urgent international intervention in the matter, welcoming foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Indonesia to Beijing. Simultaneously, the Hamas armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigade, released footage of attacking and destroying Israeli tanks in Gaza. The brigade claimed to have killed six Israeli soldiers and destroyed 17 military vehicles.
In a separate development, Yemen’s Houthis reported hijacking an Israeli ship in the Red Sea. The number of casualties caused by Israeli forces in Gaza has exceeded 13,000, with ongoing attacks in both northern and southern Gaza. Claims of a Hamas tunnel inside the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, leading to the evacuation of patients by the Israeli army, were refuted by hospital authorities as false.
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