Ceasefire

On November 24th, Israel and Hamas called for a temporary ceasefire with an agreement to release hostages. 13 hostages were released at 4pm, Friday the 24th. “Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in fighting in Gaza to allow for the release of 50 hostages held by the militant group in exchange for 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and also to allow for more aid to enter the enclave” (CNBC). The 50 hostages are all women under the age of 19, the Palestinian hostages are all women and teenagers. Israel states that “The pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released” (CNBC). Qatar has played and continues to play a large mediation role between Hamas and Israel. Hamas has a political office in the capital of Qatar, Doha, and the Qatari government has communication channels open with Israel.