Americans Among Hamas Hostages Released? What We Know

Hamas and Israel have separately announced that a deal has been reached to release 50 hostages held by the Palestinian movement in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Israel's ongoing campaign against the group

The deal was later confirmed Qatar and the United States as well. President Joe Biden said in a White House statement late Tuesday that the agreement should result in the release of U.S. citizens, backing up details provided earlier in the day by a senior official of his administration, though neither Hamas nor Israel made specific mention of U.S. nationals.

"After difficult and complex negotiations for many days, we announce, with the help and success of God Almighty, that we have reached a humanitarian truce agreement (temporary ceasefire) for a period of four days, with persistent and appreciated Qatari and Egyptian efforts," Hamas said in a statement released Tuesday evening.

The group said it would "release 50 women and children under the age of 19 from the occupation's detainees, in exchange for the release of 150 women and children under the age of 19 of our people from the occupation's prisons."

The deal, according to the group, would also entail "a ceasefire by both parties, a cessation of all military actions by the occupation army in all areas of the Gaza Strip, and a cessation of the movement of its military vehicles penetrating into the Gaza Strip," as well as "the entrance of hundreds of trucks of humanitarian relief, medical and fuel aid into all areas of the Gaza Strip, without exception, in the north and south."

All air traffic would be halted in the south of the Gaza Strip throughout the course of the four days, while air traffic in the north would be halted daily for six hours between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during this time period, Hamas said.

"While we announce the arrival of a truce agreement, we affirm that our hands will remain on the trigger, and our victorious battalions will remain on the lookout to defend our people and defeat the occupation and aggression," Hamas said.

The announcement came hours after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a highly anticipated hostage release agreement had been approved by his war Cabinet.

"The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abductees home," a statement shared with Newsweek by an Israeli government spokesperson said. "Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 abductees—women and children—will be released for 4 days, during which there will be a lull in the fighting. The release of every ten additional abductees will result in an additional day of respite."

"The Israeli government, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and the security forces will continue the war to return all the abductees, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that Gaza does not renew any threat to the State of Israel," the statement added.

Qatar too later confirmed the agreement in a foreign ministry statement shared with Newsweek.

"The State of Qatar announces the success of its joint mediation efforts undertaken with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), resulting in an agreement for a humanitarian pause," the statement said. "The starting time of the pause will be announced within the next 24 hours and last for four days, subject to extension."

"The agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons," the statement added, "the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement."

The Qatari Foreign Ministry also stated that "the humanitarian pause will also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs."

The ministry also reaffirmed "its commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians," expressing gratitude to Egypt and the U.S. for their roles.

Earlier Tuesday, the senior Biden administration official said that the deal, the result of extensive negotiations involving Hamas, Israel and the U.S., and mediated by Qatar and Egypt, was in its final stages. The agreement could see the first captives released as early as Thursday morning local time, according to the official.

The senior Biden administration official said that among those set to be released are three U.S. citizens, including three-year-old Abigal Mor Idan, whose parents were reportedly killed in Hamas' October 7 attack, and two unidentified women. Seven more U.S. nationals are considered "unaccounted for," though the official declined to get into details regarding their status.

The senior Biden administration official suggested that the deal marked the "first phase" of what was hoped to be follow-up agreements to secure the release of more detainees in exchange for extended temporary ceasefire in military operations and more humanitarian assistance.

All 50 involved in the agreement are considered to be those "that Hamas has been able to confirm in the state of the conflict that is ongoing in Gaza, with Hamas under tremendous pressure, that they have identified and that we have confidence will be coming out," the senior Biden administration official said.

"We also have confidence that through the negotiations and through the Qataris that as we are in the pause period, additional women children will come out and we are determined to get them all out," the official added. "That has been a main demand of this deal."

In a White House statement issued late Tuesday night, Biden welcomed the agreement and thanked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamid Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fateh al-Sissi "for their critical leadership and partnership in reaching this deal," and expressed appreciation for commitments made by Netanyahu and his government "in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza."

"As President, I have no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans held hostage around the world," Biden said. "That's why—from the earliest moments of Hamas's brutal assault—my national security team and I have worked closely with regional partners to do everything possible to secure the release of our fellow citizens. We saw the first results of that effort in late October, when two Americans were reunited with their loved ones."

"Today's deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released," he added.

A follow-up statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed similar sentiments.

"While this deal marks significant progress, we will not rest as long as Hamas continues to hold hostages in Gaza," Blinken said. "My highest priority is the safety and security of Americans overseas, and we will continue our efforts to secure the release of every hostage and their swift reunification with their families."

Israeli officials estimate that Hamas and allied Palestinian factions took about 242 captives of various nationalities amid the shock "Al-Aqsa Flood" assault in which Israeli authorities say about 1,200 people were killed in Israel. Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said last month that around 200 to 250 people, including a number of foreigners, were seized, around 200 of which were in its custody, and the rest distributed among other groups in Gaza.

Since then, the Al-Qassam Brigades has estimated that around 60 of its prisoners have been killed as a result of Israeli strikes that officials in Hamas-led Gaza estimate have killed more than 13,300 people since the war began. The group said last week that it had lost contact with a number of factions tasked with holding the detainees amid the ongoing war.

Hamas has released at least four hostages since the conflict began, including a mother and daughter with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship and two elderly Israeli women, both in deals brokered last month with the help of Qatar and Egypt. The IDF have said they rescued one kidnapped soldier and recovered the bodies of one other soldier and an Israeli civilian throughout the course of operations in Gaza.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, announced the death of an Israeli national the group claimed it had previously offered to release on humanitarian grounds, blaming her death on Israel's "procrastination."

"In view of this announcement," the Al-Quds Brigades said, "we renew our affirmation of disclaiming our responsibility towards our enemy prisoners in light of the barbaric and frenzied bombing of every inch of the Gaza Strip."

Even with news of the newly reached deal, however, the IDF continued to issue reports of sirens sounding near Gaza, indicating new potential rocket attacks.