Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas discuss Gaza developments amid swap deal

By Stephanie Radi

BIERUT, Lebanon (AA) – Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah held talks in Lebanon on Wednesday with Hamas deputy chief Khalil al-Hayya to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting was held shortly after Israel and Hamas announced a humanitarian pause deal in Gaza after more than six weeks of Israeli bombardment following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

The two sides reviewed recent events in Gaza since Oct. 7 “and developments on all resistance fronts,” the official Lebanese news agency NNA reported.

They underlined the importance of “pursuing coordination…in order to achieve the promised victory,” the broadcaster said.

Under the Hamas-Israel agreement, 50 Israelis held by the Palestinian group will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, Israeli media reported.

The deal also includes a four-day pause in fighting and the entry of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including fuel, into the Gaza Strip.

The agreement also allows an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.

Israel estimates that at least 239 Israelis are being held by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack, killing more than 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara