Hamas delays hostage release, demands aid to northern Gaza
By Bassam Masoud and Maayan Lubell
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The armed wing of Hamas said it had decided to delay Saturday’s scheduled second round of hostage releases until Israel committed to allowing aid trucks to enter northern Gaza.
Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades said the hostage releases would be delayed if Israel did not adhere to the agreed terms for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
There was no immediate Israeli response to the statement. Earlier an Israeli military spokesperson had told France’s BFM television station that, barring last minute changes, 13 Israeli hostages were expected to be freed.
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He said 39 Palestinian prisoners would be released in return.
Under the truce deal between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, a total of 50 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted on weapon charges and violent offences, over four days.
In the first exchange on Friday, 13 Israeli women and children – out of around 240 hostages captured by Hamas fighters on a killing spree in southern Israel on Oct. 7 – were released. Twenty-four jailed Palestinian women and 15 teenagers were released from Israeli jails.
Saturday’s setback came just hours after Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing into southern Gaza through which vital aid supplies have resumed, said it had received “positive signals” from all parties over a possible extension of that deal.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), said in a statement that Cairo was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement which would mean “the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”
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Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 per day. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.
Israel and Hamas have said hostilities would resume as soon as the truce ends, although U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday there was a real chance of extending the truce.
Israel foreign ministry tweets today that had written, we are sharing that tweet
“We are committed to returning all of the hostages, Israelis and foreigners alike.”
FM @elicoh1 visited the foreign citizens from Thailand and the Philippines who were freed from Hamas captivity.
The Foreign Minister emphasized that the foreign citizens will receive dedicated… pic.twitter.com/Bk43kOFS80
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) November 25, 2023
“We are committed to returning all of the hostages, Israelis and foreigners alike.” visited the foreign citizens from Thailand and the Philippines who were freed from Hamas captivity.
The Foreign Minister emphasized that the foreign citizens will receive dedicated care from Israel and will be entitled to all of their rights from Israel’s National Insurance.
“Israeli citizens and foreign citizens shared the same fate in the face of a cruel enemy on that dark Sabbath.
We are working with all of the parties to free all of the citizens from the hands of the Hamas terror organization, which still holds women, children and the elderly, as well as other foreign citizens.”
Reporting by Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Maayan Lubell, Emma Farge, Aidan Lewis; additional reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Jon Boyle