Israel said a four-day truce and hostage release are not to start until today at the earliest, stalling a breakthrough deal with Hamas to pause the war.
Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that the release of at least 50 Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas was still on track, but would not happen as expected yesterday.
“The contacts on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly,” he said in a statement.
Photo: AFP
“The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday.”
A second Israeli official said that a temporary halt in fighting would also not begin yesterday.
The delay is a hammer blow to families desperate to see their loved ones return home and to 2 million-plus Gazans praying for an end to 47 days of war and deprivation.
The complex and carefully choreographed deal saw Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day truce, during which at least 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks would be released.
For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day’s “pause” in fighting, an Israeli government document said.
Three Americans, including three-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, were among those earmarked for release.
In turn, Israel would release at least 150 Palestinian women and children and allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged coastal territory after weeks of bombardment and heavy fighting.
It was not immediately clear what caused the delay, which came after weeks of talks involving Israel, Palestinian militant groups, Qatar, Egypt and the US. Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said yesterday that accord’s implementation “continues and is going positively.”
“The truce agreement that was reached will be concluded in the coming hours,” he said.
The agreement has been approved by Hamas leaders and Israel — despite fierce opposition from some within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
Israeli Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir described the deal as a “historic mistake” that would embolden Hamas and risk the lives of Israeli troops. About 240 hostages were taken by Hamas and other Palestinian gunmen during bloody raids into Israel on Oct. 7, with 1,200 people killed, mostly civilians, Israeli authorities said.
The attack prompted a blistering Israeli offensive into Hamas-run Gaza, which authorities there say has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them children.
Netanyahu has backed the truce, but vowed it would be temporary and that the campaign to destroy Hamas would continue.
“We are winning and will continue to fight until absolute victory,” he said on Wednesday, vowing to secure Israel from threats emanating from Gaza and Lebanon, home to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.
Tensions rose on Israel’s northern border early yesterday, after Hezbollah said five fighters, including the son of a senior lawmaker, had been killed.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began, the Israeli-Lebanese border has seen almost daily exchanges of fire, raising fears of a region-wide conflagration.
Israel’s army said on Wednesday evening it had struck a number of Hezbollah targets, including a “terrorist cell” and infrastructure.
In Washington, the White House said US President Joe Biden had spoken to Netanyahu on Wednesday and “emphasized the importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank.”
The White House has pressed Israel not to escalate clashes with Hezbollah to avoid sparking a war that could drag in US and Iranian forces. Biden also spoke to the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, pushing for the truce to be “fully implemented” and to “ultimately secure the release of all hostages.”
In the Red Sea, US Central Command yesterday said the USS Thomas Hudner had “shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen” — referencing another Iran-backed militia group.
Families on both sides grappled with a lack of clarity over how the releases would unfold.
“We don’t know who will get out because Hamas will release the names every evening of those who will get out the next day,” said Gilad Korngold, whose son and daughter-in-law are being held in Gaza along with their two children and other relatives.
Israel’s list of eligible Palestinian prisoners included 123 detainees under 18 and 33 women.
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