Hamas also confirms release going ahead – 13 Israelis and 7 foreign nationals from Hamas and 39 Palestinians from Israel expected to be released tonight
After hours of delays, Qatar, a key mediator in the hostage deal, confirms that 13 Israelis and 7 foreign nationals will be freed by Hamas, while 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel “tonight”.
“Obstacles to the release of the hostages were overcome through Qatar-Egypt contacts with both sides,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari tweeted.
After a delay, obstacles to the release of prisoners were overcome through Qatari-Egyptian contacts with both sides, and 39 Palestinian civilians will be released tonight, while 13 Israeli hostages will leave Gaza in addition to 7 foreigners.
— д. Majid Muhammad Al-Ansari Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) November 25, 2023
Majed al-Ansari reported that eight children and five women would soon be released from Gaza, as well as seven foreign nationals held hostage in Gaza.
The Palestinian prisoners to be released at this stage by Israel are 33 minors and six women, according to him.
US President Joe Biden has been in touch with Qatar’s Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, urging him to act to overcome the impasse over the implementation of the hostage deal, an official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Earlier Qatar confirmed that the release of the next group of hostages would proceed soon after a delay of hours.
“We reiterate our appreciation to our partners in the mediation efforts, Egypt and the United States, for the joint efforts that have removed obstacles to the implementation of the terms of the agreement for today,” al-Ansari adds.
Hamas also confirmed that the release of the second group of hostages would take place tonight and thanked Egypt and Qatar for ensuring that the temporary truce with Israel would continue.
In particular, a Palestinian official said that the problem that led to the delay in the release of the hostages by Hamas was resolved with the mediation of Egypt.
An Israeli official said earlier that he was “cautiously optimistic” that the issues had been resolved and that the release of the second group of hostages would continue tonight.
The truce agreement was in the “air” for hours
The release of the second group of Israeli hostages scheduled for today turned into a thriller after Hamas delayed proceeding with their handover, claiming that Israel had violated the terms of the agreement.
At the same time, Israel warned that if the hostages are not released by midnight they will start operations again.
Source :Skai
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