Israel: Gaza hostage release will not begin before Friday

Early Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and releasing at least 50 hostages held by Hamas in the Palestinian enclave in exchange for 150 Palestinian hostages held in Israeli prisons.

The start date for the truce and the release of hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attack has not yet been officially announced. A security source in Egypt said negotiators were aiming for a start date of 10 a.m. local time on Thursday.

Israel's Kan television channel quoted an Israeli official as saying the deal had been delayed for 24 hours because it had not been signed by Hamas and the Qatari mediator. The official added that they were optimistic that the deal would be implemented as soon as it was fully signed.

“Negotiations for the release of the hostages are making continuous progress. The process of releasing the hostages will be carried out in accordance with the original agreement between the parties and will not begin before Friday,” said Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention the possibility of a delay in implementing the deal at a press conference late Wednesday. Hanegbi's statement came about an hour after the news conference ended.

The truce, the first in the seven-week war, was brokered by Qatar and hailed globally as a sign of progress in efforts to ease civilian suffering in Gaza and bring home more Israeli hostages. Arab ministers praised the deal but said it was only the first step toward a full ceasefire.

Israel has said the truce could be extended if more hostages are freed, and a Palestinian source said up to 100 hostages could be freed this month.

Hamas and allied groups took about 240 hostages in the October 7 attack. Hamas has since released four hostages.

Israel imposed a siege and relentless bombing of Gaza after the October 7 attack. Since then, more than 14,000 Gazans have died, about 40 percent of them children, according to health officials in Gaza.

“This agreement will not free all the hostages, but it will free at least 50 women and children… We guarantee they will be freed in the next 24 hours,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

The US government also expects hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to reach Gaza in the coming days.

World - Israel announces Gaza hostage release will 'not begin before Friday' — Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko.

In a post on X about the deal, US President Joe Biden wrote: “At this point, it is important that every aspect of the deal is implemented.”

At a press conference on Wednesday evening, Mr. Netanyahu also said that the Red Cross would be able to visit the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Release the hostages one by one

Mr Netanyahu's office said in a statement released on Tuesday evening that 50 hostages would be released within four days, with at least 10 hostages released each day.

The Israeli Justice Ministry has also published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be released.

Hamas said the first 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 women and children held in Israel. Hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid, medical supplies and fuel would enter Gaza, and Israel would halt all air traffic over southern Gaza, enforcing a six-hour no-fly zone over northern Gaza.

Qatar's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said the truce required "absolutely no offensive action. No military activity, no expansion of the area of control. No activity at all."

Arab foreign ministers visiting Britain and France on Wednesday said they believed the deal should be extended.

“Any humanitarian boost we have achieved through this hostage release agreement must be sustained in the future and must be further developed,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in London, along with his counterparts from Jordan and Egypt.

“This needs to be a plan that has a thorough goal, a time frame, an implementation mechanism, safeguards, and it needs to have global support and American leadership,” said Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Israel and Hamas have both said the truce will not end the main mission of either side.

“We are winning, and we will not stop fighting until we achieve complete success,” Netanyahu said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Hamas declared: “Although we have announced our agreement to a ceasefire, we still affirm that we are ready to pull the trigger, and our soldiers will remain highly vigilant to protect our compatriots and destroy the occupying forces.”

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

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