Negotiations are underway to reach an agreement on a three-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a dozen hostages held by Hamas, AP reports.
The deal will allow more aid, including limited amounts of fuel, to be delivered to the besieged Palestinian territory to ease the worsening situation for the 2.3 million residents.
The negotiations are being mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States of America.
If an agreement on the duration of the pause is reached and successfully implemented, additional pauses and hostage releases could be established in the same way.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the temporary ceasefire should be followed by the release of the hostages.
Humanitarian aid would be delivered throughout the Gaza Strip under the deal, including the northern part that is the focus of Israeli military operations to destroy Hamas.
It was proposed that Hamas release a dozen civilian hostages, most of them holding foreign passports, and give the mediators a complete list of the abductees.
The International Committee of the Red Cross would be allowed to visit the hostages.
In Israeli attacks since October 7, the number of Palestinians killed on Wednesday exceeded 10,500 people, among them more than 4,300 children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel, most of them on the first day of the Hamas attack, and about 240 hostages taken to the Gaza Strip.
