After delay, second group of Israeli hostages to be released from Hamas captivity

The release of a second group of Israeli hostages by the terror organization Hamas on Saturday evening went ahead but only after several hours of delay as Hamas claimed that Israel had violated certain terms of the hostage release agreement.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan claimed that Israel violated the terms yesterday and today, and that “the exchange will be completed after we receive the answers we asked for from the mediators.”

After hours of frenzied negotiations between Hamas, Qatar and Egypt, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced that the obstacles were removed and 8 Israeli children, 5 Israeli women 7 foreign nationals would be released from Gaza later on Saturday night.

“We reiterate our appreciation to our mediation partners – Egypt and the United States – for the joint efforts that removed obstacles in implementing the terms of the agreement for today,” al-Ansari said.

The Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel are 33 minors and six women, he added.

Earlier in the evening, an Israeli official warned that if the Israeli hostages weren’t released by midnight, Israel would resume its ground operation inside the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports.

The Israeli war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Minister Benny Gantz convened an emergency meeting with Mossad Director David Barnea and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to plan Israel's response to the delay.

Israeli officials said the main points of contention were the entry of humanitarian aid trucks to the northern Gaza Strip, and the order of release of the Palestinian prisoners according to seniority, Army Radio reported.

Hamas’ military wing claimed that the release would be delayed “until the occupation adheres to the terms of the agreement related to the entry of aid trucks into the northern Gaza Strip and due to failure to adhere to the agreed-upon standards for releasing prisoners.”

Contrary to the claim, around 200 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Friday and the IDF announced earlier in the day that 50 of them had reached the strip’s northern area.

A political source told local Channel 12 news he rejected the claims of Hamas, calling it “propaganda” and stressing that Israel met all the obligations of the written agreement.

The release of Palestinian prisoners according to the number of years they served in prison wasn’t a written condition but rather an oral agreement, Kan News reported. With regard to the entry of aid trucks, an Israeli official said the trucks had entered the Gaza Strip and Israel was not responsible for whether they reached the northern part of the strip.

The agreement between Hamas and Israel was mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with the help of the U.S., and was first implemented on Friday morning when an official pause in fighting went into effect.

In the evening, the first 13 Israeli hostages were transferred in Red Cross ambulances across the border from the southern Gaza Strip into Egypt. The transfer from Hamas to the Red Cross reportedly took place in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. From there, the hostages were transported across the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt.