Key Developments
Qatari mediators have announced that Israel is set to release 39 Palestinian detainees, while Hamas will release 13 Israeli hostages and seven foreign nationals on Saturday, averting a potential snag in the release deal. Majed Al Ansari, the spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, which has acted as an intermediary in these negotiations, stated that “After a delay, obstacles to the release of prisoners were overcome through Qatari-Egyptian contacts with both sides.”
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas had announced a delay in the release of its hostages, citing several grievances. They claimed that Israel was not adequately allowing humanitarian aid to enter northern Gaza, flying reconnaissance drones over southern Gaza in violation of the cease-fire agreement, and not releasing Palestinian detainees according to the “agreed-upon standards” on Friday.
Hamas and Israel had reportedly agreed that those Palestinian prisoners who had served the longest time in prison would be released on Friday. However, this did not occur, and Hamas contends that this is a violation of the agreement.
So far, Hamas has already released 13 Israeli hostages, along with 11 Thai and Filipino nationals as part of a separate deal. They have agreed to release a total of 50 hostages in accordance with the cease-fire agreement.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military, speaking to French television channel BFM, maintained that Israel had fully complied with the terms of the truce.
Background
On Friday, Hamas and Israel temporarily halted hostilities for the first time since Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, taking 240 hostages and resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties, according to Israeli officials. In response to the attack, Israel had carried out frequent air strikes and a ground military incursion in Gaza. Since Israel declared war, over 14,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
On Wednesday, Qatar, which had been serving as an intermediary, announced that both sides had reached an agreement to release 50 Israeli hostages, 150 Palestinian prisoners, and temporarily pause hostilities for four days to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
What to Expect
Both Hamas and Israel have expressed intentions to resume hostilities after the cessation period. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant anticipates that the conflict will continue for “at least two more months,” characterizing the pause as “a brief respite.” He stated that “when it ends, the fighting will resume vigorously, and will exert pressure that will facilitate the release of more hostages.” On the other hand, the pause in hostilities could be extended. As part of the agreement, Israel has agreed to extend the cease-fire by one day for each additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.