On Friday, November 24, a temporary truce agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, was put into motion after 50 days since the war on Gaza began.
The agreement was put into motion after both parties agreed to the release of 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons in exchange for 50 captives taken by Hamas during its Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
Friday
On Friday, 13 Israeli captives, 10 Thai and 1 Filipino citizens were released by Hamas in exchange for 39 Palestinian women and children released from Israeli prisons.
Another 137 trucks carrying aid on behalf of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were also allowed to enter the Gaza strip, after Israel imposed a total siege on the area and refused to open any humanitarian corridors.
Many organizations welcomed the exchange of hostages and hoped it would set the stage for a lasting ceasefire. But Israeli officials, on the other hand, openly stated the occupation’s intent on resuming the war on Gaza at full-force once the ceasefire ends.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the war will not stop until all of Israel’s aims have been accomplished – the primary of which has been to eliminate Hamas’ top leaders, which political analysts have hailed as largely unachievable.
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant adds that the truce is only a “short pause”, after which “Israel would resume operating with full military force.”
Saturday
On Saturday, Hamas delayed the release of 13 Israeli captives and four Thai citizens after Israel committed violations of the truce agreement.
In the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, two men accused of being spies for the Israeli occupation were killed, and their bodies then hung from a utility pole before being dumped in a trash bin. In west Ramallah, near the Ofer Prison, occupation forces opened fire on Palestinians awaiting the release of their relatives, causing injuries.
The Yemen-based Houthi rebels once again siezed another ship transiting the Red Sea, after discovering that it was owned by an Israeli-businessman.
Sunday
On Sunday morning, the second batch of Palestinians were released from Isareli prisoners, totalling 39, including six women and 33 children. Celebrations continued to break out across the occupied West Bank, with Palestinians praising the resistance for pushing for the release of their loved ones.
Israel continued its raids on the West Bank, killing six in the process.
Hamas released the third batch of captives including 14 Israelis and three Thai nationals in exchange for 39 imprisoned Palestinian children.
Monday
On Monday, 11 Israeli captives were released from Gaza followed by the release of 33 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, including three women and 30 children. 40 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Strip on that day.
Qatar announced that a deal was reached to extend the four-day ceasefire by two days, until 7 AM Thursday morning.
Between Friday and Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent was able to deliver approximately 150 aid trucks to northern Gaza as the UN announced that 248 trucks entered the Gaza Strip between the start of the ceasefire and Sunday.
Tuesday
Hamas releases 10 Israeli hostages and their pet dog, two Thai nationals, while Israel releases 30 Palestinian prisoners in the exchange.
Directors of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and the CIA arrive in Qatar to participate in negotiations for the release of more hostages for the second time.
Violations of Truce and Aggressions in the West Bank
Israeli forces violated the provisions of the ceasefire agreement on several occasions. A few hours into the truce, the Israeli army opened fire around the Al-Rantisi hospital in northern Gaza to stop people from returning to their houses.
Israeli forces have also repeatedly blocked the flow of aid into northern Gaza. Originally, they had promised to allow 200 trucks of aid daily, but the true number of deliveries was much less.
Throughout the four-day ceasefire, Israeli forces arrested 260 Palestinian citizens in the West Bank – effectively arresting a bigger number of citizens than they have released. This is yet another instance where ongoing crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank are completely ignored by mainstream media and political figures who hyperfixate on Hamas and attempt to establish a “both-sides” discourse.
Imprisonments were not only the aggressions committed by Israeli forces in the West Bank during the ceasefire, as they also killed 21 year-old Ammar Abu Al-Wafa and 17 year-old Ahmad Abu al-Heija in Jenin on Tuesday, and injured at least 31 Palestinians on Monday.