The truce between Israel and Hamas will begin this Friday at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. French time). Thirteen people, kidnapped on 7 October, are to be released, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced, in a conference quoted by Al Jazeera, in exchange for a ceasefire and the release of <> Palestinian prisoners.
The 16 hostages held in the Gaza Strip — all women and children — are expected to be released at 15 p.m. or <> p.m. French time. "However, the time will depend on the security situation of the place where they are located," Qatari ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said. No military personnel should be among them.
The Red Cross is expected to take care of them to Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, before handing them over "to the Israeli side", according to a Palestinian official quoted by AFP.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X (formerly Twitter) that he had a first list of names. "Officials are checking the details of the list and are in contact with all the families," he added. He did not specify whether he was referring to all hostages, all those eligible for release or the first potentially affected on Friday. A total of 240 people were abducted on the day of the attack.
לשכת ראש הממשלה:
ישראל מאשרת שהתקבלה רשימת שמות ראשונית.
הגורמים הממונים בודקים את פרטי הרשימה ועומדים ברגעים אלה בקשר עם כלל המשפחות.
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) November 23, 2023
In a statement posted on the government's website, Israel said no list of names should be released until the hostages are released.
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Hamas' military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed the Qatari spokesman's statements. The truce "will last for four days from Friday morning and includes a complete halt to military activities," it said in a statement.
A total of 150 hostages are to be released during the four-day truce, according to the agreement reached by Qatar, a key mediator with Egypt and the United States, against <> Palestinians held in three Israeli prisons.
"A certain number of civilians will be released every day to reach a total of 50 by the end of the four days," Majed Al-Ansari told a news conference.
'Last-minute' discussions
A Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Thursday morning that "last-minute" talks had pushed back the start of implementation of the agreement, which was originally scheduled for Thursday.
These focused on the "names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their handover" to a third party, the source close to the negotiations said.
First, it was proposed "that they be handed over via the Red Cross to take them to Egypt," which borders the Gaza Strip, before being handed over "to the Israeli side," the official said.
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"Then, it was proposed that a medical examination of Red Cross officials should first take place to ensure the state of health of the hostages" and then a visit by the latter to the other civilian hostages "so that they can ensure their state of health", he added.
Throughout the truce, Israel must ensure the free movement of people, Hamas demanded. The agreement also calls for Israeli aircraft to stop flying over the southern Gaza Strip for four days, and the north for six hours each day, and for an increasing number of humanitarian convoys and fuel deliveries to enter the besieged territory.