On Wednesday, Israel announced that 11 additional hostages detained in Gaza, among them five Thais, would be released over the course of two days this week as part of a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it had obtained a list from Hamas of eight hostages set to be released on Thursday, which includes the Thais, as well as an additional three men who are scheduled for release on Saturday.
The statement was made soon after Hamas representatives claimed Israel was postponing aid shipments to Gaza and threatening the deal.
The ceasefire depends on the freeing of Israeli hostages captured in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault, in return for 1,900 Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails.
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Thus far, Hamas has released seven captives, with 290 inmates set free in return. “Israel obtained the list of hostages anticipated to be freed from Hamas captivity tomorrow,” Israeli premiere’s office stated.
Israel announced that eight hostages, comprising three Israelis and five Thais, would be released from Gaza on Thursday. It identified the three individuals scheduled for release on Thursday as Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses.
Following the implementation of a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict on January 19, large shipments of aid have been permitted access to the war-torn Palestinian region.
However, two senior Hamas officials charged Israel with delaying aid shipments, with one mentioning essential supplies for Gaza’s recovery, including fuel, tents, heavy machinery, and various equipment.
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“As per the agreement, these materials were meant to arrive in the first week of the ceasefire,” one official stated.
The spokesman stated that “3,000 trucks entered Gaza” from Sunday until 1100 GMT on Wednesday. “The contract states it must be 4,200 within a week.”
Since the content of the agreement mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States is not publicly available, AFP could not confirm its conditions regarding aid.
The accord aims to conclude over 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas, which started following the militant organization’s assault on Israel in 2023.
The two parties are presently carrying out the initial 42-day stage of the accord, during which 33 captives are expected to be released.
