Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Islamic terrorists militants stormed into southern Israel and massacred more than 1200 men, women and children. They also took more than 250 hostages. A third of the 100 hostages still held by the terrorists are believed to be dead.
The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.
President-elect Trump has warned that if the hostages were not released by inauguration day, Hamas would face dire consequences.
