EIt took less than twenty-four hours for the first problems to arise in the implementation of the planned prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Around midnight on Wednesday evening, the Israeli government sent out a brief message from National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. The release of the first hostages in the Gaza Strip will not take place “before Friday,” it said. A reason was not given. Just the previous night, Israel’s government had approved the agreement brokered by Qatar and Egypt, which includes a prisoner exchange, a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Implementation should begin on Thursday morning. On Thursday afternoon Qatar announced that the start of the ceasefire would be postponed until Friday morning from seven o’clock.
There were different explanations as to how the surprising delay came about. The two Israeli negotiators, David Barnea and Nitzan Alon, “discovered holes in the agreement” during talks in Qatar, Israeli media reported this morning. Intermediary circles in the Gulf state told the FAZ that “technical questions” and the compilation of the lists of people were the reason. According to the agreement, 50 Israeli hostages who were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip on October 7th are to be released in small groups over four days, while Israel wants to release 150 Palestinian prisoners at the same time. On both sides these are children, young people and women.
Disagreements regarding the role of the Red Cross?
The information from Qatar corresponds to a report by the Israeli radio station Kan. Accordingly, the members of the cabinet were informed on Thursday afternoon that negotiations on some points of the agreement were continuing in Qatar. According to the report, it was about the composition of the list of hostages and the procedure for their release; for example, the question of whether the handover will take place via the Red Cross or whether the hostages will be handed over to Egypt directly by Hamas.
The AFP agency also reported, citing a Palestinian official, that there were disagreements regarding the role of the Red Cross. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday evening that the agreement also stipulated that employees of the organization could visit the hostages. Their families have been demanding this for a long time. However, it apparently remained unclear from what point in time this should be the case and whether this should also apply to those hostages who are to be released in the coming days. The Wall Street Journal newspaper wrote that Hamas had not provided any information about the health status of this group of people.
Other reports pointed to Hamas as the party that renegotiated. There may have been disagreements over details regarding the release of the Palestinian prisoners. However, there was general confidence that the deal would hold. The Qatari government said on Thursday morning that it was working in coordination with Egypt and the United States to ensure that the agreement was implemented quickly.
For now, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip
Before the delay occurred, Netanyahu had already raised hopes of further releases. In a press conference on Wednesday evening, he spoke of “next steps” that could follow the agreement. With regard to the Israeli hostages who are now to be released, Netanyahu said: “I hope there will be more than 50, but I can’t promise it.” Israel had offered Hamas to release more kidnapped people after the first phase was completed to be able to. For every group of ten hostages that are released, the ceasefire will then be extended by one day. Then there would also be further releases of prisoners at a ratio of three to one. The list of Palestinian prisoners that Israel submitted already provides for this case and includes 300 names. The maximum length of the ceasefire should be ten days.
Netanyahu has made it clear that the war will continue until Israel achieves all of its goals: the return of all hostages, the elimination of Hamas and the securing of the border region. In his press conference on Wednesday evening, he directed sharp threats at Hamas, including its leadership in exile in Qatar. He had “instructed the Mossad to take action against the heads of Hamas, wherever they are,” Netanyahu said when asked by a journalist whether Hamas would still play a role in the future. The ceasefire agreement with Hamas includes “no obligation” that Israel not attack Hamas leaders abroad.
Fighting in the Gaza Strip continued on Thursday. An Israeli army spokesman told reporters in the afternoon: “Until we receive the order to stop firing, we will continue.” The attacks would be carried out as usual. At the same time, the army is preparing to control the transition from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip as soon as the ceasefire takes place.
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