Italy welcomes Israel-Hamas agreement on humanitarian pause

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Italy on Wednesday welcomed an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a humanitarian pause.

“The Government welcomes the agreement for the release of 50 hostages who, after 7 long weeks, will be able to hug their loved ones again,” said Foreign Minister Antonia Tajani on X.

He added: “It is now necessary to ensure that the pause in fighting is used to bring humanitarian aid to civilians (in Gaza).”

Early on Wednesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that an agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause was achieved between Israel and Hamas, with the starting time of the pause to be announced within 24 hours.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Authorities in Gaza said Tuesday that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave since then has risen past 14,100 people – including over 5,800 children and 3,900 women. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.