“As of Saturday evening, Israel had not received a list of the names of the first three hostages to be released on Sunday, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that without the list, the cease-fire agreement would not be valid.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: The Times of Israel
Details: Qatar and the Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that a cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip will take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday. In a few hours, the first Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners will be released under the agreement.
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However, as of Saturday evening, Israel had not received the names of the three hostages, who are due to be released by 4pm on Sunday, and Netanyahu said this was a violation of the agreement. Hamas was supposed to provide the names by noon on Saturday.
In his first public comments on the deal, made in a 10-minute video released Saturday night, Netanyahu called the first phase of the hostage-free deal a “temporary ceasefire” and emphasized that both US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump had emphasized that Israel may return to hostilities in Gaza if the next stages of the agreement are not implemented.
However, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday evening that Israel still had not received the list of names, in violation of the terms of the agreement.
In a statement, the Israeli prime minister’s office said: “We will not move forward until we receive a list of hostages to be released as agreed. Israel will not tolerate any violations of the agreement. Hamas is fully responsible.”
The deal, which was signed in Doha early Friday and ratified by Israel early Saturday, requires Hamas to provide the names of the hostages at least 24 hours before their release.
In a video message, Netanyahu said Israel will not rest until “all its military objectives are achieved,” which includes the return of all hostages held in Gaza.
He added that the US had promised to provide Israel with the weapons it needed to return to hostilities if necessary, and said Israel would do so “in new ways and with very great force”.
What preceded: Israel’s cabinet has approved a deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Prehistory:
- On January 16, in Doha, Qatar, an agreement was officially signed between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas on the release of hostages held in Gaza and the beginning of a cease-fire.
- On January 17, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams had signed an agreement.
- A statement from Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister called a security cabinet meeting on Friday to vote on the deal.
- On January 15, US President Joe Biden confirmed that Israel and Hamas terrorists reached an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
- On the morning of January 16, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office reported that the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas refused to uphold a series of cease-fire agreements in the Gaza Strip and was disrupting the process of releasing hostages.