Despite announcing the names of three Israeli hostages to be released, Hamas delayed the handover due to accusations against Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement. This incident highlights the fragility of the truce and the ongoing distrust between the two sides.
Hamas announced on Friday the names of three Israel i hostages to be released on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. This announcement comes after a delay that highlighted the challenges facing the fragile deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza . Hamas disclosed that Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the Hamas -led attack on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that same day from the Nova music festival, will be handed over.
The Hamas media office stated that Israel is expected to release 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in return, including 18 serving life sentences, 54 serving long sentences, and 111 detained in the Gaza Strip during the war. Earlier, the Palestinian militant group accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement and postponed the announcement of the hostages' names until a local 4 p.m. deadline (9 a.m. ET) passed. It remains unclear if the delay will impact the scheduled exchange on Saturday. Hamas alleged that Israel delayed the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying food and other humanitarian supplies agreed upon under the truce that took effect on January 19, and withheld most of the tents and mobile homes needed to shelter people returning to their damaged homes. COGAT, the Israeli military agency managing aid deliveries to Gaza, denied the allegations and warned that Israel would 'not tolerate violations by Hamas.' This dispute adds to the uncertainty surrounding the ceasefire, which was already strained following U.S. President Donald Trump's unexpected announcement this week that he envisioned the United States taking control of Gaza. Trump stated on Tuesday his desire to relocate Gaza's population to a third country like Egypt or Jordan and place the enclave under U.S. administration for development into the 'Riviera of the Middle East.' 'We're in no rush on it,' Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, referring to his Gaza plan. Nonetheless, it underscored the fragility of the deal reached last month with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and supported by the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed Trump's Gaza vision as a 'remarkable' plan, but it was immediately rejected by Arab countries, Palestinian groups including Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and many Gazans, who asserted their intention to rebuild their homes and businesses themselves. Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that Gazans who wish to leave should be able to do so, and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the army on Thursday to prepare a plan for enabling the departure of Gaza residents who desire to leave. So far, 13 Israeli hostages out of the 33 children, women, and older men slated for release in the first 42-day phase of the agreement have returned home, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been released in exchange. Five Thai hostages have also been returned. Work on the second stage of the multi-phase agreement, aimed at securing the release of approximately 60 male hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, has commenced, and an Israeli negotiating team is expected to travel to Doha on Saturday, according to Israeli media reports on Friday. However, the accusations leveled by Hamas against Israel demonstrate the limited trust between the two sides following over 15 months of the most violent episode in the decades-long conflict. The Israeli military stated on Friday that commanders were conducting situational assessments ahead of the next phase of the agreement currently under discussion, with troops deployed at various points around the Gaza Strip. Hamas claimed that only 8,500 trucks out of the anticipated 12,000 had entered the territory, most carrying food and secondary goods such as chips and chocolate rather than more urgent necessities
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