The agreed deal between Israel and Hamas takes effect Thursday at 10 am Israel Time. 12-13 children and mothers will be released, in exchange for 36 to 39 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners. Each of the following 4 days would see such an exchange, with the possibility of extending the pause and the releases for additional days.

Israel waits tensely as the long awaited deal, the basis of which was set days ago, but officially approved by the cabinet and government coalition last night, takes effect.

The delicate agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, stipulating the exchange of 50 hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners and a four-day ceasefire, has yet to take effect, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the region. The primary aim for Israel in these negotiations has been the safe return of its citizens — a humanitarian imperative in the wake of escalating violence that began on October 7, 2023.

A key factor is that the agreement, accoridng to Israel, provides for the extension of the releases, with each 10 Israelis released leading to 30 Palestinian women and teen prisoners released an an additional day of ceasefire. The fact that Israel’s Mossad chief David Barnea has received names of more than 90 children and women, raises the prospect that the pause could extend up to ten days. Israel does not intend to publish the lists of name or the impending releases until they happen, but Hamas or others may torture the families and public by publishing lists.

This truce, expected to provide a brief respite from the intense fighting, is viewed with cautious skepticism. It’s seen as an interlude for Hamas to regroup and is not without potential pitfalls that could derail the agreement’s implementation. For Israel, the ceasefire is not a strategic retreat but a necessary pause to facilitate the hostages’ release, with the safety of these individuals being the paramount concern.

Political consensus in Israel on the necessity of this deal is not absolute, with dissent voiced solely by Itamar Ben-Gvir and his party, but the political landscape is fraught with complex and anxious opinions on how to proceed in the conflict with Hamas. This opposition, however, has not hindered the Israeli cabinet’s decision to move forward with the deal, reflecting a national imperative to retrieve its citizens.

The Israeli Defense Forces maintain a presence in Gaza, a constant reminder of the ongoing conflict and the fragile nature of any ceasefire. The operations continue not as a precursor to an impending offensive but as a standard security measure under the current volatile circumstances.

In Tel Aviv, where public calls for the release of the hostages have been most vocal, the sentiment is one of cautious hope. The signs of ‘Hostage deal ceasefire’ at demonstrations encapsulate the public’s mixed emotions — relief at the prospect of the hostages’ return and anxiety over the ceasefire’s fragility and the broader conflict’s unresolved nature.

The international community observes with a mix of hope and concern. The prisoner exchange is a critical component of the ceasefire agreement, and while it represents a significant step toward addressing immediate humanitarian concerns, it also carries the weight of potential complications that could arise before and after its execution.

As the region stands at the cusp of this tentative ceasefire, there is an acute awareness that much could still go wrong. The agreement, surrounded by variables and uncertainties, holds the promise of a humanitarian victory for Israel and a strategic respite for Hamas but also the risk of collapse under the pressure of the conflict’s inherent complexities.

In the balance hangs not just the fate of the hostages and prisoners but the immediate future of the Israel-Gaza relationship, with the potential outcomes of the deal set to reverberate through the corridors of power on both sides and beyond.