“We declare an end to the war today and the start of a permanent ceasefire,” Deputy chairman of Hamas Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement.
250 prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,700 detainees from Gaza will also be released as part of a ceasefire agreement, said Khalil al Hayya.
The announcement follows the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of all hostages held in Gaza. According to Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Hamas has agreed to free the captives within 72 hours of the truce taking effect. “There will be a ceasefire and then the commitment within 72 hours of Hamas to release all the hostages. I believe that can – that should bring the end to this war,” Saar said, according to Al Jazeera.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the development by calling for Donald Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize after the former US president helped broker the deal. “Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!” read a post from the official X account of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Following the ceasefire announcement, 153 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, according to the Egyptian Red Crescent. The convoy included shipments from the UN, Qatar, and Egyptian Red Crescent, and is being processed for delivery through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
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