We begin tonight with breaking news with Israel and Hamas agreeing on a deal that will free a number of hostages in Gaza in exchange for a temporary pause in fighting. The long-anticipated agreement is for the release of fifty hostages, mainly women and children. In addition to the four-day pause in fighting, the deal includes the freeing of at least one hundred one hundred Palestinian prisoners currently being held by Israel. The number of hostages freed could increase in the days ahead. Today’s news comes as we learned fourteen thousand people have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Tonight, Israel is preparing to escalate the war by moving its devastating ground invasion from northern Gaza further south. Israeli Prime Minister B.N today announced that the military’s push into southern Gaza is not a question of if, but when it will happen.

Hamas have told us the fifty hostages they had released would all be civilians and all women and children. Around ten Americans are still unaccounted for after the Oct.7th attacks. And it’s thought some of them were taken hostage including a three-year-old girl. We don’t know at this point if they would be released. The deal was brokered by the US and Qatar. Hamas is incentivized to release more than fifty hostages with three Palestinian prisoners mainly women and children freed for every hostage who has returned to Israel. There will be a six-hour daily pause in fighting for four days which could be extended during which Israel’s aerial surveillance will be halted. And three hundred trucks each day will carry aid including cooking oil and fuel for hospitals into the Gaza Strip. But tonight, Israel’s Prime Minister B.N vowed this won’t be the end of the war, saying his country will continue fighting until it has eliminated Hamas. Israel says there are two hundred thirty-six hostages, only four have been released until now while Israel’s military have retrieved the bodies of two others from Gaza and rescue one soldier who had been taken captive.