Fighting intensifies in Gaza as Israel and Hamas announce an agreement for a four-day halt to the wa

(22 Nov 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Southern Israel, looking towards Gaza Strip - 22 November 2023
1. Various of smoke rising over the Gaza skyline
STORYLINE:
Smoke was seen rising over Gaza on Wednesday as several strikes hit the besieged enclave as Israel and Hamas announced they reached an agreement for a four-day halt to the devastating war in Gaza.

The deal will be accompanied by the release of of dozens of hostages held by the militant group in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, mediators said Wednesday.

Residents in Gaza City said the fighting there had intensified overnight into Wednesday, with gunfire, heavy artillery and airstrikes in central neighbourhoods.

The truce marks the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since Hamas’ October 7 attack in southern Israel ignited a war that has devastated vast swaths of Gaza and raised fears of a wider conflict across the Middle East.

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which has played a key role in mediating with Hamas, announced the deal without saying when it would go into effect. Fifty hostages will be released in stages, in exchange for what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Both sides will release women and children first, and the supply of humanitarian aid flowing into the besieged territory will be ramped up.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting “until we achieve all our goals,” including the defeat of Hamas.

More than 11-thousand Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The invasion has caused vast destruction in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, displaced over 1.7 million people and caused severe shortages of food, medicine and other basics throughout the territory. Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide power blackout.

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