There was a big breakthrough on Friday amid rising tensions when the Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed that a deal has been made that involves the exchange of hostages held in Gaza with the Israeli and Egyptian prisoners. The agreement made late on Thursday brings an end to sometimes biting and very high high-stakes internationalised talks that were brokered through third parties such as Egypt and Qatar.
The hostages of Israeli citizens and foreigners captured during a cross-border raid initiated by Hamas on October 7- remain at the center of the rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas. It is unclear how many hostages must be released, and what in return must be given to Israel, but media sources claim that the process of releasing hostages may be gradual.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the deal as a positive measure towards family reunion and saw it as an assurance by the state of Israel of the protection of its citizens. He said: ‘This has been made possible by the determination to ensure our people are brought home.’
The two leaders used the word thank and he thanked mediators for making an important contribution to achieving the solutions. This deal is one of the rare moments of diplomacy in weeks of unrelenting violence. After the brutal Hamas attack, this conflict witnessed numerous simultaneous deaths on both sides due to the heavy bombardment of Gaza and rockets targeting Israeli cities.
International leaders have welcomed the development and hoped that it would now provide both sides momentum to move forward with a broader peace initiative. President Joe Biden of the US, who played a behind-the-scenes role in the negotiations, hailed this as a ray of hope arising in this volatile region.
As the first step of this agreement soon realized, hostage families and the international community will be attentively watching that the implementation process may see some de-escalation and a renewed focus on the long-standing conflict.
