The handover of a second group of hostages in the Gaza Strip will be delayed, according to the terrorist organization Hamas. Hamas justified its actions by saying that Israel had violated part of the agreement. She accused Israel of not allowing aid to be delivered to the northern part of the Gaza Strip as agreed.
It is unclear whether this was actually part of the Qatar-brokered agreement. In Israel there was always talk of making it possible to deliver aid to the south. In addition, Hamas’s military wing stated that Israel should not “adhere to the agreed standards” when releasing prisoners.
Israel threatens to end ceasefire
According to media reports, Israel then threatened to end the ceasefire at midnight (local time) if Hamas did not release the second group of hostages as planned. “Hamas is aware that the Israeli military will continue the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip if the hostages are not released by midnight,” an Israeli security official told the news site “ynet” – and accused Hamas of “playing the same game” the day before “to have played. Accordingly, the travel route and transport of the hostages were changed at short notice.
According to the official, contrary to what Hamas stated, more than 61 of 200 aid shipments planned for the day also arrived in the northern Gaza Strip.
Several other Israeli media outlets also reported on the ultimatum by midnight, citing security circles, but official confirmation was pending.
There had previously been several reports that the process of handing over the hostages had already begun. According to various reports, there was talk of 13 or 14 Israelis. According to reports, the hostages should have already been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It is unclear how long the delay will last.
