Last week, we ended The Capitals on the note that the Qatar’s Prime Minister in capital Doha told the world that they are nearing a deal to free over 240 people held hostage by Hams in Gaza. And that soon, the state of war in West Asia may transform into a terminal conflict.
Since Friday (Nov 24, 2023), the delicate truce between Israel and Hamas is holding up after seven-week war that began on October 7 after Hamas attacked southern Israel and killed over 1,200 Israelis and took at least 240 people hostage into Gaza Strip.
In response Israel launched an air, artillery and naval bombardment alongside a ground offensive to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to the Hamas government in Gaza.
So far, two set of hostages, mostly children and elderly have been released by Hamas from inside Gaza Strip.
Relatives voiced joy at the return on Saturday of hostages including a nine-year-old Israeli-Irish girl, and cheering crowds greeted Palestinian prisoners as they left a jail in the West Bank.
But last-minute disagreements during the exact moments of the supposed truce timeline underlined the fragile nature of the process, and that while the truce has held up so far, its extension may not be an easy way forward from either side.
Hamas has released 26 Israeli hostages in exchange for 78 Palestinian prisoners in the two releases already completed.
The militants have also freed a total of 14 Thais and one Filipino and one Russian national.
Hamas is expected to release a total of 50 hostages during the truce in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Besides, Egypt has said that it received positive feedback from both sides about the idea of extending the truce for a day or two and releasing more hostages and prisoners. BBC reported that the truce could extend till the end of next week, that is for a total of five more days.
Both Doha and Cairo are leading negotiations aimed at extending the duration of the initial agreement beyond Monday, potentially paving the way for the release of more hostages and Palestinian prisoners in the days that follow.
“Our hope is that we build on this progress and the momentum of the last 48 hours can be sustained to extend the pause once the current deal expires and lead to further discussions about a more sustainable agreement to end the violence and bloodshed of civilians,” a Qatari official was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal.
The bottom line is that while the extension of current truce between Israel and Hamas appears imminent, Doha and Cairo have to cover few more miles of talks before claiming the milestone of ceasefire.
