Israel, the United States and Hamas have reportedly reached a tentative deal to release dozens of hostages in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip, according to the Washington Post. Information denied by the White House, which specified that negotiations were still ongoing.
Under the terms of a detailed six-page agreement, all parties to the conflict should halt fighting for at least five days, allowing the release of around fifty hostages in the coming days, the media reported late Saturday evening. American daily, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Shortly after, the White House clarified that an agreement had not yet been reached and that discussions were continuing.
“We have not yet reached an agreement, but we continue to work hard to achieve it,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson on X.
By pausing hostilities, the agreement cited by the Washington Post would allow the entry of significant humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where widespread famine and a shortage of drinking water threaten the population.
The broad outlines of the agreement were developed during weeks of negotiations in Qatar, between Israel, the United States and Hamas, indirectly represented by Qatari mediators.
This would be the first truce in the conflict since Israel relentlessly shelled the besieged enclave in response to the deadly October 7 attack led by Hamas.
The growing number of Palestinian civilian victims – 12,000 dead, according to the latest Hamas report – has continued to increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been inflexible since the start of the conflict.
More than a hundred countries, excluding the United States, have called for a total and immediate ceasefire in recent weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron recently toughened his tone against the Israeli state, which he accused of “killing civilians in Gaza”.
On Friday, the head of the Israeli National Security Council, Tzachi Haegbi, told journalists that a ceasefire could only come after “a mass release of hostages” held by Hamas.
Increasing pressure on the Israeli government, thousands of people ended a five-day march between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday, demanding the release of the hostages.