The release of the first hostages is not imminent. According to the head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, who spoke in a statement published on the evening of Wednesday, November 22, the release of certain Israeli hostages agreed within the framework of the agreement between Israel and Hamas will be done no earlier than Friday. “Negotiations for the release of our hostages continue unceasingly”, he added. The truce and the first liberations had been expected until Thursday. Follow the situation in our live stream.
“This war continues,” says the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu spoke a few hours after the announcement of an agreement reached to free at least 50 Israeli hostages held by Hamas and establish a four-day truce. “This war continues until we achieve all our objectives, recover our hostages and destroy Hamas,” he said. “I can’t stop thinking about the families of the hostages,” he added. The Red Cross will be able to bring medicine to the hostages, Benjamin Netanyahu also announced during this speech.
The Israeli army says it has intercepted a cruise missile targeting the south of the country. The Israeli army announced that it had intercepted with a fighter plane a “cruise missile”, in the midst of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Following reports of an airspace intrusion in the area of the city of Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city, the army issued a statement saying that“An Israeli Air Force fighter successfully intercepted a cruise missile that was being launched towards Israel.” She specifies that“no infiltration into Israeli territory has been identified”“.
The international community welcomes the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. US President Joe Biden said “extraordinarily satisfied” of the upcoming release of hostages kidnapped in Israel by Hamas militants on October 7, under an agreement to which Israel gave the green light on Wednesday. It provides for the release of 50 hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a truce in the Gaza Strip. “I welcome the announcement of an agreement for the release of hostages and a humanitarian truce”for his part reacted Emmanuel Macron on the social network x. A spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, for his part, mentioned “an important step”but affirmed that it remains “a lot to do”.
Hamas reacts to the “humanitarian truce”. “The provisions of this agreement were formulated in accordance with the vision of resistance and determination which aims to serve our people and strengthen their tenacity in the face of aggression”reacted the Palestinian Islamist organization. “We confirm that our hands will remain on the trigger and that our triumphant battalions will remain on the lookout”she warned.