A montage of pictures of hostages being held in Gaza

Hostage Deal Delayed, As Reports Say Hamas Unsure Of Location Or "Status"

Details
The Judean Staff
National

In an unexpected late-night development, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay in the anticipated release of 50 Israeli abductees held by Hamas in Gaza. Initially set for Thursday, the release under a hostage deal is now scheduled for Friday. Tzachi Hanegbi, Chairman of the National Security Council, stated that negotiations are making steady progress and the release will proceed on Friday as per the original agreement.

Furthermore, an Israeli source indicated that the four-day ceasefire included in the deal is on hold, with Israeli military operations in Gaza continuing until the agreement's finalization. It has been claimed that Israel has ramped up the attacks, with several reporters on the outskirts of the strips reporting that airstrikes appear to have increased over the last day.

Qatar, spearheading the negotiations with Egypt and the U.S., announced Thursday morning that details about the implementation of the deal, which involves a limited hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a temporary ceasefire, would be released soon. "The ceasefire talks are moving forward positively, and we expect to announce its commencement shortly. We're working closely with our partners in Cairo and Washington to expedite the agreement," said a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

This statement followed Hanegbi's earlier announcement that the release of hostages in Gaza would not occur on Thursday, contrary to expectations. Hamas had declared a ceasefire effective Thursday morning, but Hanegbi emphasized that the release would only begin on Friday, adhering to the original terms. As of 10 AM Israel time, it has been confirmed that Hamas fighters are still shooting, however there have been no rockets fired from the strip since as of this writing (11:25 AM IST)

A political source said that a contributing factor to the delay is Israel's lack of information about the identities of the hostages to be released. The Wall Street Journal noted that Hamas provided most hostages' names, genders, and nationalities but did not confirm their status as being alive or dead. One of the stipulations of the agreement is Israel insists on liv hostages, not the bodies of dead ones.

Intelligence sources suggest that Hamas may be unaware of many hostages' whereabouts, indicating that some are possibly held by criminal groups in Gaza. Further indicating a weakening of Hamas's control in Gaza are widespread protests against the group, captured on social media and Palestinian Telegram channels.

These protests, driven by Hamas's use of Palestinians as human shields and their control over aid distribution, culminated in a video showing masked Palestinians assaulting a Hamas police officer and accusing the group of betraying public trust and hoarding aid.

Stay tuned to the Judean for more information as it becomes available.

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