Palestinian president welcomes Gaza humanitarian pause deal

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday welcomed a humanitarian pause deal in the Gaza Strip.

“President Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement,” Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Executive Committee, said in a statement.

“We appreciate the Qatari-Egyptian effort that has been made, and we renew the call for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the introduction of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy, leading to an end to the occupation and the Palestinian people gaining their freedom, independence, and sovereignty,” he added.

Israel and Hamas announced a truce-for-hostage deal early Wednesday.

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 fuel, into the Gaza Strip.

The agreement also allows 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.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara