While a 42-day truce begins this Sunday morning and exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are planned, Benjamin Netanyahu has already reaffirmed that he reserves “the right to resume the war if necessary and with the support of the United States. United”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Saturday to bring back “all the hostages» detained in the Gaza Strip on the eve of the entry into force of a ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian territory, ravaged by 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. “This is a temporary ceasefire» et «we retain the right to resume the war if necessary and with the support of the United States“, he said during a televised speech and, if necessary, “we will do it with more force».
The truce is due to begin on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (06:30 GMT), on the eve of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Qatar, one of the mediators with Egypt and the United States, announced on Saturday. managed to secure this agreement after more than a year of laborious negotiations. “As I promised you, we have changed the face of the Middle East and as a result, Hamas remains beaten and lonely“, added Mr. Netanyahu, promising the Israelis to bring back “all the hostages».
Under the terms of the agreement, hostilities must cease and 33 Israeli hostages must be released, in a first phase spread over six weeks. In exchange, Israel will release 737 Palestinian prisoners, according to the Israeli Ministry of Justice, with Egypt reporting “more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners» to be released during this first phase.
“The list” of hostages
Announced on Wednesday by the mediators, the agreement aims, according to Qatar, to ultimately lead to a definitive end to the war, triggered by a bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023. Out of 251 people kidnapped that day There, 94 are still hostages in Gaza, 34 of whom are dead according to the Israeli army.
The Israeli government approved the agreement on Saturday, after the green light from Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Hostages will be released on Sunday, the Israeli government announced, without specifying their number or at what time.
Also read
Yemen: Houthis ready to retaliate if attacked during Gaza truce
Three reception points have been set up on Israel's southern border with Gaza, at the Kerem Shalom and Eretz crossings and at the one near Kibbutz Reim, a military official said. The captives will be taken care of by doctors then taken to hospitals.
-According to sources close to Hamas, the first group of hostages released will be made up of three Israeli women. Mr. Netanyahu demanded on Saturday evening to receive “the list» hostages to be released on Sunday before being able to carry out the first exchange of prisoners.
Two Franco-Israelis released
Israel designated 95 Palestinian detainees for release on Sunday, the majority women and minors, most of them arrested after October 7. Their release will take place after 2:00 p.m. GMT, according to the authorities. Among the prisoners expected to be released is Zakaria al-Zoubeidi, responsible for anti-Israeli attacks and former local leader of the armed wing of Fatah, arrested and imprisoned in 2019.
Two Franco-Israelis, Ofer Kalderon, 54, and Ohad Yahalomi, 50, are among the 33 hostages who can be released, according to Paris. They were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with several of their children, released during an initial one-week truce in November 2023.
Also read
Ceasefire in Gaza: the worrying profile of certain Palestinian terrorists whom Israel is preparing to release
According to US President Joe Biden, the first phase of the agreement also includes an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas in Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid in the territory threatened by famine according to the UN. Egyptian authorities announced that the agreement provided for “the entry of 600 aid trucks per day into Gaza, including 50 fuel trucks».
During the first phase, the modalities of the second will be negotiated, which should allow the release of the last hostages, before the third and final stage devoted to the reconstruction of Gaza and the restitution of the bodies of hostages who died in captivity.
