Status: 25.11.2023, 19:35 PM
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Israeli army tanks near the border with the Gaza Strip. © Tsafrir Abayov/AP/dpa
More hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were to be released. But the handover is delayed. Israel is now threatening to end the ceasefire at midnight.
Gaza - The transfer of a second group of hostages in the Gaza Strip will be delayed, according to the terrorist organization Hamas. Hamas justified its actions by saying that Israel had violated part of the agreement. She accused Israel of failing to allow aid to be delivered to the northern part of the Gaza Strip as agreed.
Whether this was actually part of the agreement brokered by Qatar is unclear. In Israel, there was always talk of facilitating aid deliveries in the south. In addition, Hamas' military-terrorist wing said Israel should not "adhere to agreed standards" in releasing prisoners.
Israel threatens to end ceasefire
According to media reports, Israel threatened to end the ceasefire at midnight (local time) if Hamas did not release the second group of hostages as planned. "Hamas is aware that the Israeli military will continue the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip if the hostages are not released by midnight," an Israeli security official told the Ynet news site, accusing Hamas of playing "the same game" the day before. According to the report, the itinerary and the transport of the hostages had been changed at short notice.
According to the official, contrary to Hamas' claims, more than 61 of the 200 aid shipments planned for the day had entered the northern Gaza Strip.
Several other Israeli media outlets also reported on the ultimatum by midnight, citing security sources, but official confirmation was pending.
Earlier, there had been several reports that the process of handing over the hostages had already begun. According to various reports, there was talk of 13 or 14 Israelis. The hostages have reportedly already been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It is unclear how long the delay will last. Dpa