Live News Update | Announcement Expected Within 24 Hours on Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire

A mutually agreed upon cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas militant group, facilitated by Washington and Qatar, is imminent. This arrangement is set to temporarily end the ongoing war, which has persisted for seven weeks.

The Israeli administration has outlined that as part of this agreement, Hamas will release a minimum of 50 hostages from the approximately 240 captured during the October 7 offensive. This release is to occur over four days. Qatar, acting as a mediator with Hamas, confirmed this accord, noting that the precise commencement time will be disclosed within the next day and the truce will span four days. This ceasefire is expected to provide relief to the beleaguered residents of Gaza, where the conflict has resulted in over 11,000 deaths, as reported by local health officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prior to the Cabinet’s early Wednesday decision, stated that the conflict would persist irrespective of the cease-fire agreement. In Israel, the conflict has claimed about 1,200 lives, predominantly during Hamas’s initial invasion.

Current Developments:

• The truce deal sparks hopes for freeing hostages in Gaza and ending the most severe violence in the Middle East in decades.
• South African legislators support the closure of Israel’s embassy and severing diplomatic relations.
• Bahrain’s government websites experienced brief outages following a cyberattack related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• Gaza’s health authorities report losing the capacity to tally fatalities amid intensifying Israeli attacks.
• Additional reporting on the Israel-Hamas conflict is available at https://bigbignews.net/israel-hamas-war.

Key Events in the War:

US Retaliates Against Iran-Backed Militants in Iraq

The U.S. military has executed strikes against Iran-supported factions in Iraq responsible for attacks on American forces.

According to two officials from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, these strikes targeted three sites near Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, resulting in eight Kataeb Hezbollah militants’ deaths. These officials, requesting anonymity, were not authorized to engage with the media.

Since October 17, Iranian-supported militants have carried out numerous assaults on U.S. bases and facilities in Iraq and Syria. While most of these over fifty attacks have been ineffectual, they have caused minor injuries to at least 60 U.S. personnel. The militant groups claim these strikes are retribution for U.S. backing of Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The U.S. Central Command confirmed that it conducted “discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq” in direct response to these attacks, including a recent missile assault.

Reported by Qassim Abdul-Zahra from Baghdad.

France Optimistic About Nationals Being Released Early Under Truce

PARIS — France’s Foreign Minister expressed optimism that French citizens will be among the early releases under the Israel-Hamas truce deal.

Speaking on France Inter radio, Catherine Colonna expressed hope that French hostages, eight of whom are missing from the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, would be released soon. Not all hostages from this incident were captured by Hamas, but the group has indicated its capability to assemble all hostages for the release.

International Red Cross Prepared to Facilitate Hostage Exchange

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is prepared to assist in any prisoner exchange in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The ICRC clarified that while it is not involved in the negotiations, it is actively engaged in discussions to facilitate any humanitarian agreement reached. The ICRC emphasized its neutral intermediary role and its commitment to assisting in the implementation of such agreements.

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More about Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

• Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Developments
• Gaza War Casualties and Impact
• U.S. Military Actions in Iraq
• Role of the International Red Cross in Conflicts