It seemed done: Israel and Hamas reached the agreement that should have triggered the truce in Gaza and the exchange of 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners as early as Thursday morning. But in the evening the cold shower arrived: both the truce and the exchange of prisoners will not take place before Friday. Hamas had announced that the halt to Israeli raids would begin on Thursday at 10 in the morning (9 in Italy) even though there was no official confirmation from the Jerusalem government. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had only made it known that “according to the agreed plan, the process of releasing the first hostages” would also begin on Thursday. Hours later, Israel’s national security advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced that the start of the release of the hostages “will not happen before Friday”, assuring that “contacts for the release of our prisoners are progressing and advancing constantly”. , but without adding anything else. According to Israeli sources in Haaretz, however, Hamas has not yet ratified the agreement reached through Qatar, nor has it provided Israel with the list of Israeli citizens it intends to release. For this reason, the implementation of the agreement was postponed for at least another day. The “pause in the fighting”, as Israel defines it, is the framework in which the release of the Israeli hostages (children and women) in exchange for the Palestinian prisoners (also in this case women and minors) will take place.
The exchange – according to what has been learned from Egyptian security sources – should take place through the Rafah crossing, between Egypt and the Strip. This is considered by the parties as the “first phase” of the agreement, which concerns the release of approximately 10 kidnapped people per day. But the 4 days of truce could become 5 if it is possible – as foreseen by the agreement reached with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the USA – to exchange a further 50 hostages in the hands of Hamas and the other Palestinian factions for another 150 Palestinian prisoners, thus bringing the total number of abductees released to 100 compared to 300 who are in Israeli prisons. This would be the “second phase”. The agreement establishes the possibility of extending the “pause in fighting” for a few further days, if necessary, based on a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The Israeli Ministry of Justice has already identified 300 Palestinians eligible for release, excluding those who have committed the crime of murder. Hamas, in the event that the exchange goes ahead, must in turn identify the other 50 hostages to be released who are under its control or that of other factions, starting with the Palestinian Jihad. The first interval between the reaching of the agreement (in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday) and its application was also due to the fact that on that list of 300 Palestinian prisoners indicated by the Ministry of Justice, every citizen could object – within 24 hours – before the Supreme Court. But the same assembly completely rejected – as it already did in 2011 on the occasion of the exchange for the release of soldier Shalit – the petition advanced by a right-wing Israeli NGO. The agreement also provides for the passage of at least 300 trucks of aid per day from the Rafah crossing directed to Gaza, including fuel, the ban on Palestinians displaced in the south from returning to the north of the Strip and also the stop by Israel , of the reconnaissance drones flying over for 6 hours in the 4/5 days of truce. At the end of this deadline, the Israeli army – it was explained – will fully resume its offensive in the Strip. The announcement of the truce agreement also seems to have brought positive repercussions to the border between Israel and Lebanon, practically the second front of this conflict which has reached its 47th day.
Hezbollah sources have made it known that despite not having participated in the truce negotiations, they will join “the cessation of fighting”. While Mossad chief David Barnea arrived in Qatar to define the final details of the agreement and ensure that it is implemented. All in close contact with the head of the CIA Robert Burns, considered one of the key figures in the negotiation together with Secretary of State Antony Blinken who will return to Israel next week. The agreement was welcomed by the Arab world, starting with Palestinian President Abu Mazen who at the same time called for “broader solutions” in the conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations “will mobilize all its capabilities to support the implementation of the agreement and maximize its positive impact on the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza.” While waiting for the truce, the war continued on the field. Israel said that since the start of hostilities it has destroyed around 400 tunnels in the Strip which were “under civilian structures, including residential buildings, schools, hospitals and other locations”. The deaths in Gaza – according to the Hamas Ministry of Health which does not distinguish between militiamen and civilians – have instead reached 14,532 with 35,000 injured and 7,000 missing.
To know more
– Israel-Hamas war, Netanyahu gives in to avoid two fractures: with the USA and with its citizens in revolt
– The return home of little Noam, kidnapped by Hamas: “My granddaughter is safe now, but we fight for everyone else”
– Meeting with the survivors of the massacre in Kibbutz Be’eri: “Never again trust with the Arabs”
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