Gaza Ceasefire Could Last for Weeks

Israeli officials have agreed to a ceasefire after approving a deal with Hamas that calls for the release of at least 50 hostages being held by the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip.

As part of the deal, Hamas is to free at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages over a four-day period, during which there will be a pause in fighting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Tuesday night. Israel has offered to extend the truce by one day per every 10 hostages released by the militant group.

Women and children will be freed first, according to Israeli officials and Hamas.

The announcement arrived hours after Netanyahu's office said that a highly anticipated hostage release agreement had been approved by his war Cabinet.

"The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abductees home," a statement shared with Newsweek by an Israeli government spokesperson said. "Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 abductees—women and children—will be released for 4 days, during which there will be a lull in the fighting. The release of every ten additional abductees will result in an additional day of respite."

Hamas, in a separate statement announcing the deal on Tuesday, outlined the group's terms of the ceasefire, saying it would "release 50 women and children under the age of 19 from the occupation's detainees, in exchange for the release of 150 women and children under the age of 19 of our people from the occupation's prisons."

"After difficult and complex negotiations for many days, we announce, with the help and success of God Almighty, that we have reached a humanitarian truce agreement (temporary ceasefire) for a period of four days, with persistent and appreciated Qatari and Egyptian efforts," Hamas said in a statement released Tuesday evening.

It was unclear when the truce would go into effect.

Newsweek reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) via email on Tuesday for comment.

Under the agreement, approved by Israel's Cabinet Tuesday night, the ceasefire between the Israeli government and Hamas could last for more than two weeks.

However, before the Cabinet vote, Netanyahu said the war will continue once the ceasefire ends.

"There is a lot of nonsense out there to the effect that after the pause to return our hostages, we will stop the war," the prime minister said. "Then let me make it clear: We are at war—and will continue the war. We will continue the war until we achieve all of our war aims: To eliminate Hamas, return all of our hostages and our missing, and ensure that there is no element in Gaza that threatens Israel."

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrike barrage on Gaza.

Israeli officials estimate that Hamas and allied Palestinian factions took roughly 242 captives of various nationalities amid the shock "Al-Aqsa Flood" assault in which Israeli authorities say about 1,200 people were killed in Israel. Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said last month that around 200 to 250 people, including a number of foreigners, were seized, around 200 of which were in its custody, and the rest distributed among other groups in Gaza.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 12,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the Associated Press reported, citing the Palestinian Health Ministry. Officials there say roughly 4,000 people are missing.

This is a developing story and will be updated as further information becomes available.