postponement of the hostage-prisoner exchange to the second day of the truce

Hamas accuses Israel of not respecting the truce agreement. The Islamist group demands in a press release “the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the north of the Gaza Strip” and respect for the “selection criteria” for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The dynamic of the truce has stalled. Hamas announced on Saturday, November 25, that it was delaying the expected release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of not respecting the truce agreement which offered a second day of respite to Palestinians in the besieged territory. after seven weeks of war.

The armed wing of the Islamist movement, the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, notably demanded in a press release “the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the north of the Gaza Strip” and respect for “selection criteria” for the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages, before handing them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). According to Israel, which confirmed the delay, 14 hostages were to be released on Saturday in exchange for 42 Palestinian detainees.

Arrival of humanitarian aid

This agreement, concluded by Qatar with the support of the United States and Egypt, provides for four days of truce which should allow the release of 50 hostages, out of the more than 200 held in Gaza, and 150 Palestinian prisoners. This pause in the fighting, renewable and which seemed respected on Saturday, also includes the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza. Dozens of trucks crossed the Rafah border post on Saturday for the second consecutive day, according to images shot by AFP.

Israeli bombings since the bloody attack on Israel on October 7 and the military offensive on northern Gaza have stopped, as have Hamas rocket attacks on Israel. On Friday, the first 13 Israeli hostages, women and children, were handed over to the ICRC and returned to Israel via Egypt to reunite with their families. The Islamist movement also released ten Thais and one Filipino, who were not part of the deal. In return, Israel released 39 Palestinians, women and young people under the age of 19.