Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.Photo:Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty

Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023 as raging battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for the sixth consecutive day

Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty

Israel has also agreed to release some 150 Palestinians imprisoned in its jails — also women and children.

Qatar’s foreign ministryannounced the terms of the dealon Tuesday, saying the pause in fighting would “last for four days, subject to extension.”

The statement added that “the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement,” and that the ceasefire — which it described as a “humanitarian pause” — would allow for a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid to enter Gaza following the Israeli strikes.

Palestinians travel south amid Israeli strikes on Gaza.Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty

Citizens of Gaza are on their way to leave the city to the southern safer parts by whatever vehicles they can find with their belongings after the United Nations (UN) reported that the Israeli army wanted 1.1 million civilians in Gaza to leave their homes and move to the south of the region in Gaza City, Gaza on October 13, 2023

Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty

In a statement, PresidentJoe Bidenapplauded the deal, saying he and first lady Dr.Jill Biden"have been keeping all those held hostage and their loved ones close to our hearts these many weeks, and I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls, who have endured weeks of captivity and an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented."

“Today’s deal is a testament to the tireless diplomacy and determination of many dedicated individuals across the United States Government to bring Americans home,” Biden said.

The president added that he will be “staying in close contact” with involved parties “as we work to ensure this deal is carried through in its entirety. It is important that all aspects of this deal be fully implemented.”

In this photo illustration, a phone displays footage released by Hamas today showing three hostages - (L-R) Rimon Buchshtab Kirsht (36), Danielle Aloni (44), Lena Trupanov (50) - purportedly held in captivity in Gaza, on October 30, 2023. The identities of the three women were not immediately available. Hamas has demanded a prisoner exchanger for some of the hostages it has held since its Oct 7 attacks, which left 1,400 dead and 230 kidnapped, according to Israeli officials. The fate of those hostages has complicated the country’s military response. Families of the victims worry that the military offensive may result in hostages being killed during Israeli bombing or from Hamas’s reprisals. Some families and friends of hostages, who remain in Gaza, are calling on the government to trade for Palestinian prisoners. (

Dan Kitwood/Getty

The ceasefire comes several weeks into fighting, which began on Oct. 7 after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a massive surprise attack in southern Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 civilians and soldiers and taking roughly 240 hostages.

In response, Israel declared war on Hamas — which controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza — and indicated that a long military campaign to defeat the militant group was on the horizon. That war has so far included a series of airstrikes as well as a ground invasion.

It took more thantwo weeks for humanitarian aidto reach those impacted in Gaza — who were cut off from water, food, medicine, fuel and other essentials — after the strikes began.

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While the ceasefire will put a pause on those attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the fighting will resume once the ceasefire expires.

“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said, theAssociated Pressreports. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals," which include taking back all hostages and eliminating Hamas.

The number of fatalities in Israel from the Hamas attacks is over 1,300, including 27 Americans, perNBC News, which cited U.S. officials. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s response.

source: people.com