US president welcomes prisoner swap deal between Israel, Hamas

By Gozde Bayar

US President Joe Biden on early Wednesday welcomed a prisoner swap deal reached between Israel and Hamas.

“As President, I have no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans held hostage around the world. 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,” according to a statement from the White House.

Biden thanked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for their “critical leadership and partnership” in reaching the deal.

“It is important that all aspects of this deal be fully implemented,” he added.

The Israeli government agreed to a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian group Hamas early Wednesday.

Under the Qatar-mediated agreement, 50 Israelis held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.

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.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the attack by Hamas.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,128, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Tuesday.

“The victims include over 5,840 children and 3,920 women,” the ministry added in a statement.

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

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.