Israel and Hamas at war, day 46 | A truce finally concluded

First sign of respite since the start of the war: an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to allow a “truce” in the fighting as well as the release of hostages, at a time when a real health “tragedy” is looming in the Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The Israeli government announced late evening Montreal time that it had approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which will bring a pause in the devastating war that has lasted for more than six weeks.

Under the parameters of this agreement, Hamas will have to release 50 of the approximately 240 hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip over a period of four days. According to sources close to the talks, this would come in exchange for the release of around 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

According to the Associated Press, which spoke with White House officials, the hostage releases will begin about 24 hours after the deal is approved by all parties. The agreement would include at least three American nationals, including a 3-year-old child, said a senior White House official, who expects a pause of several days in the fighting.

Mainly women and children are among the hostages identified to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The Israeli government said the truce would be extended by one day for every dozen additional hostages released by Hamas.

In Washington, more than 50 hostages are already expected to be released. The United States is also hoping for a pause in the fighting on the Israeli-Lebanese border, where clashes take place daily between the Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah, which says it intervenes in support of the Palestinian movement.

Qatar confirmed late Tuesday the agreement for a “humanitarian pause” in the Gaza Strip, while the President of the United States, Joe Biden, said he was “extraordinarily satisfied” with it.

Still at war

This agreement does not mean the end of the war which broke out during the Hamas attack on October 7, which cost the lives of at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and which led to the kidnapping of about 240 other people.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, has once again committed to resuming the Israeli offensive against Hamas as soon as the truce ends. “The Israeli government, Israeli army and security forces will continue the war to return all abductees, eliminate Hamas and ensure that there is no further threat to the State of Israel from Gaza,” The government has clearly indicated this.

Hamas, whose leader Ismaïl Haniyeh had reported progress in the talks, specified that the “provisions of this agreement were formulated in accordance with the vision of resistance and determination which aim to serve our people and strengthen their tenacity.” “We confirm that our hands will remain on the trigger and that our triumphant battalions will remain on the lookout,” Hamas warned.

The announcement comes as Israeli troops battle Palestinian militants in a refugee camp in northern Gaza, and around hospitals overcrowded with patients and sheltering families.

Mr. Netanyahu also said that during the lull, intelligence efforts would be maintained, allowing the army to prepare for the next stages of the battle. He said the war would continue until “Gaza no longer threatens Israel.”

“Tonight we are faced with a difficult decision, but it is the right one. All security organizations fully support it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared during a televised address on Tuesday evening, referring to a possible signing of the agreement. War has its stages, and the release of hostages also has its stages. »

On Tuesday, the Canadian government for its part said it was impatiently waiting for the release of hostages. “What we expect from this agreement is that we want to make sure that all the hostages are released, that all foreign nationals are allowed to leave Gaza, including, of course, the approximately 200 Canadians who are still in Gaza , and that humanitarian aid can enter – and much more than what has been authorized so far,” argued the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly.

Civilians killed in Lebanon

Earlier Tuesday, eight civilians, including two journalists, were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the country’s official news agency reported.

The Lebanese television channel Al-Mayadeen announced that its correspondent Farah Omar, 25, and her cameraman Rabih Maamari, 40, had been killed “by an Israeli strike”, which the Lebanese army confirmed.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Tuesday it was horrified to learn that two doctors from the organization, Dr.^r Mahmoud Abu Nujaila and the D^r Ahmad Al Sahar, had been killed with a third doctor, Dr.^r Ziad Al-Tatari, during a strike on the Indonesian hospital in Gaza, one of the last hospitals still functional in the north of the Palestinian enclave.

UNICEF, for its part, has raised the alarm about the living conditions of Palestinians who have been forced to flee their homes to avoid Israeli attacks, raising the specter of a real health “tragedy”.

“If there is not enough fuel, we are going to see the collapse of sanitation services,” said a spokesperson, James Elder, during a videoconference press briefing from Cairo , describing the situation as a true “tragedy” or a “perfect storm” caused by the outbreak of disease.

“Total insecurity”

Rachad Antonius, researcher and retired sociology professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), notes that the humanitarian crisis is a problem “even more glaring” than that of the 13,000 deaths in Gaza since the start of the strikes.

To break the impasse, he suggests that Israel implement a humanitarian ceasefire, end the 16-year blockade of Gaza, and announce a solution based on withdrawal from the occupied territories in the West Bank and the Strip. of Gaza, which is what Canada is asking for. “Israel’s friends should urge Israel to withdraw. Otherwise, we are here for generations to come,” he says.

With Agence France-Presse and La Presse Canadienne