Israel-Hamas hostage deal: Who will be released today? What happens after truce ends?

A four-day truce deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas will kick in on Friday (24 November) morning, with civilian hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released later in the day, according to mediator Qatar. The breakthrough agreement was supposed to come into force a day back, but it was deferred until Friday. While no official reason was given by either side, Israeli government source told BBC that Hamas had made more demands. The Palestinian militant group kidnapped over 200 hostages, including foreign citizens from 26 countries, during its surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, as per the Israeli military. What is the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas? Who are the hostages to be released today? What will happen after the truce is over? Let’s take a closer look. Israel-Hamas’ hostage deal The two sides have agreed to stop fighting for four days so that 50 women and children below 19 years of age held captive by Hamas and other groups in Gaza can be released. In return, Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners – all women and children – from Israeli jails, The Guardian reported citing Hamas. The West Asian nation has agreed to a “humanitarian pause” in its attack on Gaza for four days. Israel said in a statement that the ceasefire will be extended by a day for every 10 additional hostages freed, reported Reuters. As per The Guardian report, Hamas says Israel will halt air sorties in southern Gaza and limit it to six hours a day in the north during the truce. Israel will also allow the entry of hundreds of trucks loaded with aid relief, medical supplies and fuel into Gaza through the Rafah border with Egypt. Qatar’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said that under the truce deal there would be “no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing,” reported Reuters. [caption id=“attachment_13425232” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A man passes by a fence with photographs of hostages, mostly Israeli civilians who were abducted during the Oct. 7, unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on 22 November. AP[/caption] The truce will commence at 7 am local time (10.30 am IST) today, with the first set of captives to be released by 4 pm local time (7.30 pm IST), CNN reported citing Qatar. As per The Times of Israel, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will receive the hostages from Hamas and then transfer them to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel. These hostages are likely to come out from Egypt, reported Reuters. After an initial medical check by authorities, they will be moved to five isolated medical centres across Israel where they will meet their families. Later, medical and defence authorities will decide if some of the hostages can be questioned, according to The Times of Israel. The hostages will be debriefed eventually. ALSO READ: Behind the scenes of the Israel deal with Hamas for the release of 50 hostages Who all will be released today? Around 13 hostages will be released from Gaza today, as per BBC. While their names have not been revealed, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said they are all Israelis, including some dual nationals, as per the CNN report. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the relatives of these hostages have been notified about their release. According to Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, the hostages from the same families will be freed together in the first batch, noted CNN. He informed that the list of hostages that would be freed was provided to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. As per a US official, three American citizens, including a girl who turns four today, are also among the 50 women and children being freed by Hamas under the truce deal, reported Reuters. US President Joe Biden said that the agreement “should bring home additional American hostages.” Without providing details, he said he is keeping his “fingers crossed” that the now 4-year-old American girl will be among the hostages released on Friday.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group formed after the 7 October Hamas attacks, says 201 Israelis are being held captive in Gaza. This includes 44 women and 89 men in the 19-64 age group; 39 children aged 18 and below; and 29 people aged 65 and above, reported CNN. Meanwhile, Hamas says 150 Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel, according to the CNN report. Most of these are male teenagers aged 16 to 18 and others are women. The Palestinian Prisoners Society said that Israel was holding around 7,200 prisoners as of Wednesday, including 88 women and 250 children aged 17 and below, reported Reuters. The list provided by Israel of 300 Palestinian prisoners who might be released also set down the charges against them. The offences included attempted stabbings, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, “harming regional security”, making explosives, damaging property and support for hostile organisations. What happens after the hostage deal? Hostage families have expressed hope that the initial deal could pave way for the release of all hostages. Qatar’s lead negotiator has asked the global community to “seize this brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track,” emphasising that such steps were the only way to resolve the conflict and establish peace, as per CNN. However, Israel has said the fighting will resume after the temporary pause. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet: “We will not stop after the ceasefire,” reported The Guardian. He said the pause would “allow (the military) to prepare for the continuation of the fighting”, adding that the war would continue until “Hamas, Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel.” Hamas would use the temporary ceasefire to regroup and might propose to extend it by offering to release more hostages, as per the British daily. With inputs from agencies