Riyaz ul Khaliq
22 November 2023•Update: 22 November 2023
By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Wednesday welcomed the newly announced humanitarian pause and prisoner swap between Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Israel.
China hopes the move “will help alleviate the plight of the humanitarian crisis, promote the de-escalation of conflicts, and ease tensions,” said Mao Ning, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, according to state media.
Israel and Hamas announced the deal early Wednesday, with the pause to start within the next 24 hours, according to the Gulf nation of Qatar, which helped broker the deal.
Under the agreement, 50 Israelis held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, Israeli media reported.
The deal also includes a four-day pause in fighting and the entry of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including badly needed fuel, into the Gaza Strip.
The agreement also allows for an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.
Israel estimates that at least 239 Israelis are being held by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack, killing more than 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
