Israel and Hamas have reached a deal, to take effect on Sunday, Jan. 19, for a hostage and prisoner swap, a six-week cease-fire, and access to relief aid for the beleaguered Gaza Strip.
The deal’s details were confirmed and many of them disclosed, at a press conference in Doha late on Jan. 15, by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The negotiations, conducted around the clock in recent days, were mediated by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, Al Thani said.
“We worked day and night in order to reach this moment,” he said.
As part of it, Al Thani said, Hamas will release 33 Israeli captives, including civilian women, female recruits, children, elderly people, and civilians who are ill and wounded, in return for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel....
