US, Israel and Hamas reach agreement to temporarily stop conflict, release hostages?

Smoke rises from Gaza (Photo: Getty).

The Washington Post on November 18 quoted an informed source as saying that according to the 6-page agreement, Israel and Hamas agreed to stop military activities for at least 5 days.

In return, Hamas agreed to release at least 50 women and children hostages in small groups every 24 hours. The release of hostages could begin within the next few days.

Hamas is believed to have taken more than 240 hostages after a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.

The airborne system will also monitor the ceasefire on the ground, the source said. The truce is intended to allow for the safe return of hostages and the flow of aid into Gaza.

The White House, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, and Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip have not yet commented on the above information.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier confirmed that there was no agreement on Hamas releasing the hostages. Netanyahu said he had invited representatives of the hostages' families to a cabinet meeting this weekend to discuss the situation.

The Israeli Prime Minister's administration also made it clear that it would only accept a temporary halt to military operations in Gaza for short periods of time to create a safe evacuation corridor for civilians from the north to the south of Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.

Tel Aviv says a comprehensive ceasefire will only be possible when the goal of destroying Hamas is achieved.

On this issue, US President Joe Biden also rejected calls for a complete ceasefire in Gaza. The White House owner said that such an agreement would not bring real peace in Gaza.

"As long as Hamas pursues a confrontational mindset, a ceasefire does not mean peace. For Hamas, any ceasefire is time they can use to restore their arsenal and forces to prepare for new waves of attacks," Mr. Biden commented in an article in the Washington Post.

"Our goal is not simply to stop this war today, but to end it forever, to break the cycle of violence, to build something stronger in Gaza and across the Middle East so that history does not repeat itself," he stressed.

The US leader also called on Israel to respect humanitarian law and minimize civilian casualties. According to him, a two-state solution is the only solution to the conflict in this region.

The United States is a close ally of Israel. As soon as the Israel-Hamas conflict flared up again last month, Washington provided emergency aid to Tel Aviv.

The Biden administration has proposed a budget package of more than $105 billion to support security for Israel, Ukraine and a number of other security programs. However, this proposal has met with opposition from many Republican lawmakers.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/my-israel-va-hamas-dat-thoa-thuan-tam-dung-xung-dot-giai-phong-con-tin-20231119110352817.htm