Aviva Fried (US correspondent) / Photo credits: Miriam Alster / POOL / AFP
After mediation by Qatar and the United States, the Israeli government approved early Wednesday the agreement providing for the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a truce in the Gaza Strip . A relief for President Joe Biden, since there should be three American nationals released.
Several countries intervened to allow this agreement to release Hamas hostages, eagerly awaited by the families, such as Qatar which acted as mediator, but also the United States. Benjamin Netanyahu also underlined last night the weight of Joe Biden in these negotiations. The American president said this Wednesday morning that he was “extraordinarily satisfied” with these upcoming releases, while around ten Americans are hostages of Hamas.
Two women and a three-year-old girl
According to a member of the American administration, among the hostages who should be released, there could be three American women. Two women and a three-year-old girl, whose parents were killed by Hamas. The State Department expects their health to be not very good, and has arranged for medical assistance. Then, if all goes well, they will be reunited with their families, before being repatriated to the United States.
The Americans and Israelis have been negotiating this release for more than a month, via intermediaries in Qatar and Egypt. Joe Biden personally telephoned the Emir of Qatar last week, emphasizing the importance of finalizing an agreement. Subsequently, on Saturday, an envoy from the White House visited Doha and Cairo. Where the Egyptian authorities announced to him that Hamas had accepted almost all the conditions set by the negotiators. A relief for Washington, which is also hoping for a pause in the hostilities on the Lebanese border, where, daily, the Israeli army and Hezbollah clash. The United States still wants to avoid a conflagration in the region.