Subhechcha Ganguly 
In exchange for 150 Palestinians held captive in Israel, the government of Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire in combat that would permit the entry of humanitarian supplies into the beleaguered enclave and the release of 50 captives held in Gaza. Israeli counts indicate that Hamas killed 1,200 people on October 7 when its members stormed into Israel, taking more than 200 hostages.
Fifty women and children will be released over the course of four days, during which there will be a respite in fighting, according to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It said that the halt would be prolonged by one day for every ten more hostages freed.
In the midst of the increasingly violent conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, which has claimed more than 12,000 lives so far, India dispatched the second shipment of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. External affairs minister S Jaishankar declared that India “continues to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine” as he announced the development on X, formerly Twitter.
On October 22, India dispatched the first shipment of humanitarian aid, comprising medical supplies and disaster relief, to Palestine through the el-Arish airport, which is located around 45 kilometres from the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border with Gaza. At the moment, Rafah is the only border point into Gaza for humanitarian aid.
India gave $2.5 million to UNRWA on Monday in order to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Operating since 1950, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) provides direct assistance and employment opportunities for officially recognised Palestine refugees. The agency is primarily supported by voluntary contributions from UN member states.
