In the dispute over a continuation of the ceasefire between Israel and Islamist Hamas, an agreement is at least temporarily emerging. Hamas said that it wanted to release Israeli hostages on Saturday. However, there was initially no confirmation of an agreement with the terrorist organization from the Israeli side.
After placement talks in Egypt, Hamas announced that it was obliged to implement the ceasefire agreement with Israel. According to the agreement, three hostages should be released. The crisis should be included in the implementation of the ceasefire with Israel for the time being.
The conversations in Cairo were positive, it said in the communication of Hamas. The negotiators Qatar and Egypt had assured that they would continue to work on “clearing obstacles out of the way”.
Hamas had initially postponed the release of the next hostage group, which was actually intended for Saturday. She accused Israel of not adhering to the agreement on the ceasefire. Israel decidedly rejected this and threatened with a new beginning of the war, should no further hostages be released. In return for the hostages, Palestinian prisoners are to be released again.
Dispute over aid deliveries
According to Hamas, Israel will increase the number of auxiliary deliveries that are allowed to enter the destroyed Gaza Strip. In addition, heavy construction machines are likely to be brought into the blocked coastal area to clear rubble and residential containers. A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, announced: “There is no import of residential containers or heavy devices in the Gaza Strip, and there is no such agreement either.” Video recordings, on the other hand, showed such containers and bulldozers on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The allegation of Hamas was that Israel does not allow deliveries from residential containers, tents and heavy construction machinery to the evacuation of rubble. In addition, 92 Palestinians were killed by Israeli shelling in the sealed coastal area during the ceasefire. During the ceasefire, around 15,000 trucks with humanitarian aid drove into the Gaza Strip, it said. They would have transported food, drinking water, fuel, medication, medical equipment, tents, accommodations and heavy clearing units.
Qatar announced that another 15 million liters of fuel to provide the Gaza Strip. This should provide hospitals and emergency accommodations for displaced people with electricity, it said in a report by the state agency QNA. In total, Qatar made 30 million liters of fuel available for Gaza.
Ultimatum Trump and Netanyahus to Hamas
US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu had given Hamas an ultimatum this week to force the remaining hostage. Trump threatened to “break down hell” if Hamas does not release the hostages as agreed.
For his part, Netanyahu explained that the Israeli army would resume the fights if Hamas does not expose the hostages. Netanyahu had left open how many hostages would have to be released to prevent a new weapons.
Israeli media reported that the government in Jerusalem demanded the release of all the hostages that were still alive, which should be released during the first phase of the agreements on ceasefire and the hostage deal. That would be nine.
A maximum of 40 Hamas Geiseln are still alive
The agreement on the ceasefire and the hostage deal actually stipulate that, during a first phase, 33 hostages are gradually exchanged in Israeli prisons in Israeli prisons. Ohad Ben Ami, who was released with two other men during the recent exchange campaign on Saturday, left the hospital. His emaciated and weak appearance had caused horror and anger in Israel. After being released from the hospital, Ben Ami attended a school in Tel Aviv and thanked the students for being hostage for his release.
A total of 76 hostages are currently being recorded in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli information, 36 of them are no longer alive, so in their case it is about the handover of the remains. Most recently, Hamas had released a total of 16 Israeli hostages in five exchange campaigns. In return, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
