World leaders on Wednesday welcomed a truce deal between Israel and Hamas that agreed a four-day halt to the devastating war in Gaza, accompanied by the release of dozens of hostages held by the militant group in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel. The agreement marks the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since Hamas’s bloody cross-border October 7 attack on southern Israel that prompted Israel to launch a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Israel’s government and Hamas agreed to a four-day pause in fighting to allow the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The deal, which was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US, came after five weeks of negotiations, according to a US official.
US President Joe Biden said late Tuesday he was deeply relieved that some hostages taken when Hamas militants stormed into Israel on October 7 will soon go free.
“I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls ... will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
Biden thanked the leaders of Qatar and Egypt for their “critical leadership” in reaching the deal and hailed Israel for agreeing to an extended pause in fighting in Gaza to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
A senior US official said that three Americans, including three-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, were among the 50 hostages earmarked for staggered release from Thursday.
Qatar on Wednesday provided more details on the deal.
“The starting time of the pause will be announced within the next 24 hours and last for four days, subject to extension,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hailed the success Wednesday of the mediation it conducted alongside Qatar and the US.
Sisi also welcomed the planned "exchange of hostages for prisoners" held in Israeli jails, his office said.
‘A moment of real hope’
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal, adding that he was working to free "all" the hostages held by Hamas.
“We are working tirelessly to ensure that all hostages are released. The humanitarian truce that has been announced must allow aid to enter and help the people of Gaza,” Macron said on X.
France’s foreign minister Catherine Colonna, hailing the truce deal as "a moment of real hope", said that she hopes the eight French nationals believed to be held by Hamas would be among those freed.
“We hope that there will be French people among the first batch of hostages to be released,” Colonna told France Inter radio.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said she hoped the pause in hostilities would allow for more humanitarian aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave, saying she has ordered her European Commission to step up aid deliveries.
“The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza,” she said in a statement, adding that: “I wholeheartedly welcome the agreement.”
Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock hailed the agreement between Israel and Hamas Wednesday as a “breakthrough” while urging “vital aid” to be sent to Gaza.
“The announced release of the first major group of hostages is a breakthrough – even if nothing in the world can undo their suffering,” Baerbock said on X, formerly Twitter. “The humanitarian pause must be used to bring vital aid to people in Gaza.”
British Foreign Minister David Cameron called the deal a “crucial step” and urged the parties to deliver the deal in full.
"This agreement is a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Cameron said. "I urge all parties to ensure the agreement is delivered in full."
Russia, which invaded its neighbour Ukraine in February 2022, also welcomed the humanitarian ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the RIA news agency cited Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying on Wednesday.
Russia ally China, which is historically sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, also welcomed the news.
“We welcome the temporary ceasefire agreement reached by relevant parties and hope that it will help ease the plight of the humanitarian crisis, de-escalate the conflict and ease tensions,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
