Negotiated ceasefire delayed
According to a Palestinian representative, the ceasefire negotiated between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas has been delayed due to details still to be clarified regarding the release of hostages. The ceasefire had been postponed due to "last-minute" discussions about the "names of Israeli hostages and the modalities of their handover" to a third party, the Palestinian representative close to the negotiations, who wished to remain anonymous, told the AFP news agency on Thursday.
The Palestinian representative went on to say that Qatar, in coordination with Egypt and the USA, would announce the date of the start of the ceasefire on Thursday. There had already been an exchange of lists with names of prisoners from both sides via the Qatari and Egyptian mediators on Wednesday.
"Hamas will release ten female hostages and children under the age of 19, while 30 Palestinian prisoners will be released at the same time and the agreement will continue like this," he continued. According to him, the Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators will monitor the implementation of the agreement and determine if there are any violations.
On Wednesday night, the Israeli cabinet approved an agreement with Hamas, which provides for the release of at least 50 hostages abducted by Hamas in the Gaza Strip during a four-day ceasefire and the release of 150 Palestinian women and minors from Israeli prisons.
Israeli media had reported that the ceasefire would come into force on Thursday and that the first group of hostages would be released on the same day. On Thursday morning, an Israeli official told AFP that the fighting would not stop before Friday.
The ceasefire, initially negotiated between Israel and Hamas, experienced a delay due to unresolved details about the hostage release, specifically the names and transfer methods. Despite the postponement, Qatar, Egypt, and the USA were expected to announce the new ceasefire start date on Thursday.
Source: www.ntv.de
