Israel, Hamas agree to truce, 50 hostages to be released

Published
0

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce that would see the Palestinian group release dozens of hostages taken on October 7, both sides have announced.

According to AFP, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the accord after a near-all-night meeting, in which he told reticent ministers this was a “difficult decision but it’s a right decision.”

A government spokesman told AFP that under the agreement at least 50 Israeli and foreign hostages would be released — women and children — in return for a four-day “lull” in military operations.

For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day of truce.

The Israeli cabinet’s approval was one of the last stumbling blocks to the agreement coming into effect. Qatar had helped to broker the talks.

Read more here

Opinion

Editorial

Talks, at last
03 Oct, 2026

Talks, at last

YESTERDAY, the government and opposition finally sat across from each other and talked. A government-led coalition,...
IWT’s future
03 Oct, 2026

IWT’s future

TOGETHER with the Kashmir dispute, India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty has become the biggest...
Pained minds
03 Oct, 2026

Pained minds

IN Pakistan, mental healthcare is wedged between two extremes — a luxury or a stigma. Estimates cited by the...
Risks ahead
Updated 02 Oct, 2026

Risks ahead

To think that the government would rather push out an elected government than grant a single prisoner some facilities does not square up rationally.
Exit from Iraq
02 Oct, 2026

Exit from Iraq

AMERICAN and British troops have once again shipped out of Iraq. On Wednesday, the foreign forces left the Arab...
Lahore’s ozone warning
02 Oct, 2026

Lahore’s ozone warning

LAHORE has received another warning that its air pollution crisis cannot be treated as a problem that begins with...