Hamas chief says truce agreement with Israel is close

바이든 “하마스 억류 인질 석방 협상 타결 임박“ Hamas and Israel may soon reach a truce agreement according to the chief of the Palestinian militant group. This has been echoed by U.S. President Joe Biden earlier, saying a deal to secure the release of hostages is closer. Jeong Eun-joo has the details. The chief of Hamas told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday that the militant organization was “close to reaching a truce agreement“ with Israel, and the group has delivered a response to Qatari negotiators. According to Reuters, Qatari mediators have been leading negotiations that could potentially lead to the release of 50 hostages in exchange for a three-day ceasefire and further aid for Gaza. A Hamas official also recently told Al Jazeera TV that negotiations were centered on how long the truce would last, arrangements for delivery of aid into Gaza, and the exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Both sides would free women and children with details being announced by Qatar. Around 240 hostages were taken during a deadly attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th. The ferocity of the attack, which killed around one thousand two hundred people, prompted Israel to invade the Gaza Strip. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run government said at least 13-thousand-300 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 5,600 children and 3,550 women, by an Israeli bombardment. Talk of such an imminent hostage deal has been circulating for days. U.S. President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials said on Monday while speaking to reporters that a deal to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas is close. Meanwhile, Israeli operations against Hamas in Gaza have put the spotlight on medical facilities within the enclave, with hospitals suffering power cuts and a lack of medical supplies. According to health officials in Gaza, at least 12 people were killed at the Indonesian Hospital in northeastern Gaza on Sunday night after it was hit by artillery rounds. The IDF says it took action after being fired upon from the facility. Twenty-eight prematurely born babies evacuated from Gaza’s biggest hospital, Al-Shifa, were taken into Egypt for urgent treatment on Monday. Jeong Eun-joo, Arirang News. #Israel #Gaza #Hamas #Hostage #Truce #이스라엘 #가자_지구 #인질 #휴전 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-11-21, 18:00 (KST)