Specific truce hours announced: One thing was surprising

Israel: There will be no break in fighting in Gaza until hostage deal is finalized

An Israeli official told AFP early on Thursday that they would not stop fighting in the Gaza Strip until Friday until a deal on hostages held by Hamas terrorists is finalized.

The Israeli government approved the deal early Wednesday morning, which was expected to enter into force Thursday morning.

The official’s comments came shortly after National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi suddenly announced before midnight on Wednesday that none of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 raid would be freed by Friday. Hamas has carried out massacres in the south of Israel.

Negotiations on the hostages “are ongoing” and “the release of the hostages will begin according to the original agreement of the parties, but not before Friday,” Hanegbi said.

The delay is a blow to families desperate for their loved ones to return home, and to the more than two million residents of the Gaza Strip who are praying for an end to 47 days of war and deprivation.

In a complex and carefully crafted deal on Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that would see the release of at least 50 hostages taken in deadly attacks by the Palestinian militant group on October 7.

Israeli government documents indicate that the release of 10 more hostages will halt the fighting for another day.

Three Americans, including three-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, are among 50 people Hamas plans to begin releasing.

For its part, Israel is set to release at least 150 Palestinian women and children and allow more humanitarian aid into the beleaguered Palestinian enclave after weeks of bombardment and fierce fighting.

It was not immediately clear what led to the delay in implementing the terms of the deal, which came after weeks of negotiations involving Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

“We will continue to fight until complete victory”

The deal was supported by Hamas leaders and the Jewish state, although some members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government strongly opposed it.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal a “historic mistake” that he said would embolden Hamas and put the lives of Israeli soldiers at risk.

According to Israeli authorities, on October 7, Hamas and other Palestinian armed attackers took about 240 hostages and killed 1,200 in Israel in bloody attacks. people, mostly civilians.

Israel responded to the October 7 attack with massive bombings and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, during which, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, 14,100 people have already died. people, including thousands of children.

Netanyahu welcomed the deal with Hamas, but promised that the truce would be temporary and would not end the campaign to destroy the Palestinian militant group.

Reuters/Scanpix/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

“We are winning and we will continue to fight until complete victory,” he said on Wednesday, pledging to protect Israel from threats emanating from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah militants are based.

Tensions rose on Israel’s northern border early Thursday after Hezbollah said it had killed five militants, including the son of a senior lawmaker.

Since the start of the war between the Jewish state and Hamas on October 7, there have been almost daily clashes along the border between Lebanon and Israel, raising fears that hostilities could spread across the Middle East region.

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli military said it struck several Hezbollah targets, including their headquarters and infrastructure.

The White House said US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday and stressed the need to ensure calm along the Lebanese border and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Washington is pressing Israel not to escalate clashes with Hezbollah, fearing a further conflict that could involve US and Iranian forces.

Mr. Biden also spoke to the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Wednesday, calling for “the full implementation of the ceasefire” and “eventually securing the release of all hostages.”

The US Central Command said on Thursday that the USS Thomas Hudner destroyer shot down several single-use drones launched by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi fighters in the Red Sea.