Topline
Hamas will release 13 more hostages and Israel will release 39 more detainees Saturday, a spokesman for Qatari mediators said—avoiding a snag in the release deal after Hamas previously delayed its freeing of hostages and claimed Israel violated the cease-fire agreement.
Families of hostages and their supporters participate in a special Havdallah (a Jewish ritual ending … [+]
Key Facts
Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry—which has acted as an intermediary—wrote on X that Israel will release 39 Palestinian detainees and Hamas will release 13 Israeli hostages and seven foreign nationals.
Al Ansari said that “After a delay, obstacles to release of prisoners were overcome through Qatari-Egyptian contacts with both sides.”
Hamas said earlier on Saturday it was delaying the release of its hostages because it claimed Israel was not sufficiently allowing humanitarian aid to enter northern Gaza, was flying reconnaissance drones over southern Gaza in violation of the cease-fire agreement and did not release Palestinian detainees on the “agreed-upon standards” Friday, Bloomberg and Axios reported.
Hamas and Israel reportedly agreed that the Palestinian prisoners who’d served the most time in prison would be released Friday, but that wasn’t the case, which Hamas argues is a violation, Axios reported, citing an anonymous source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Hamas has already released 13 Israeli hostages—as well as 11 Thai and Filipino nationals in a separate deal—and has agreed to release a total of 50 as part of a cease-fire agreement.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military, speaking to French television channel BFM, contended that Israel fully complied with the terms of the truce, Reuters reported.
Key Background
On Friday, Hamas and Israel paused the fighting for the first time since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, taking 240 hostages and killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. Israel responded to that attack with frequent air strikes and a ground military incursion in Gaza. More than 14,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel declared war, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. On Wednesday, Qatar, which had been serving as an intermediary, announced the two sides had struck a deal to release 50 Israeli hostages, 150 Palestinian prisoners and pause the fighting for four days while humanitarian aid could flow into Gaza.
What To Watch For
Both sides have vowed to continue fighting following the cease-fire period. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he expects the conflict will continue “at least two more months,” saying this is simply “a brief pause” and “when it ends, the fighting will continue forcefully, and will create pressure that will allow the return of more hostages,” as quoted by CNN. On the other hand, the pause in fighting could be extended. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to prolong the cease-fire by one day for each additional 10 hostages Hamas releases.
Further Reading
First Hostages Released Amid Temporary Israel-Hamas Ceasefire (Forbes)
What To Know About The Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal (Forbes)
Temporary Ceasefire Takes Effect In Gaza (Forbes)
Israel Released 39 Palestinian Prisoners: Here’s What We Know About Them (Forbes)
Here’s What To Know About The Hostages Released From Gaza (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/11/25/hamas-to-release-second-group-of-hostages-after-hours-long-delay/