Details of the near-complete hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will feature a 4-day pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip beginning Thursday in exchange for the release of 12 hostages per day, mostly women and children, by Hamas, according to Israeli security officials. Additionally, if Hamas agrees to extend the truce, an additional 10 hostages would be released for each extra day of the fighting pause. Being that Hamas does not have all the hostages – some are being held by other terrorist factions, and reportedly even by Gaza crime families – extra truce days would allow Hamas to locate additional hostages for release. According to reports, the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet all support this deal, indicating that they believe a temporary pause will not ruin Israel’s ability to destroy Hamas once it is over. “We are talking about hostages who are all alive and are Israeli. Foreigners may also be released with the intervention of other countries with which Hamas is in contact,” an unnamed Israeli security officials said of the hostages whose release is being discussed. On Israel’s end, it is expected to release between 150 and 300 Palestinians, also mainly women and children, who are sitting in Israeli prisons for terror-related crimes. Importantly, Israeli officials stressed that no prisoners who have been convicted of murder will be allowed out of prison under this deal. Also, Israel has reportedly agreed to stop its drone surveillance of the Gaza Strip for six hours each day during the pause, though officials say that the IDF has “surveillance capabilities other than drones” that would allow them to keep an eye on Hamas movements during that time. During the ceasefire, Gazans will not be allowed to return from the southern Gaza Strip to its northern areas, and regardless of how long the truce remains in place, the IDF is expected to resume its full-force operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip once it expires. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)