On the eve of the truce coming into force, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “endeavours to present” the pact he concluded with Hamas as a “strategic break” rather than like “the conclusion of the war”notice the Jerusalem Post.
After the Israeli government gave the green light to the ceasefire agreement and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, January 18, the Likud leader warned the Palestinian Islamist group, saying that If it did not publish the list of hostages who will be released on Sunday, Israel would not respect the ceasefire agreement and reserved the right to resume hostilities.
“If we must return to combat, we will do it in new and energetic ways”he declared in the evening, during a televised speech, emphasizing the character “provisional” of the first stage of the ceasefire.
Under the terms of the agreement, hostilities must cease on Sunday 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 for its part “more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners” to be released during this first phase.
A Hamas official told Israeli media Yediot Aharonot what “the delay in releasing the list of hostages” was due to “a technical problem”. “Communication between agents takes place via couriers, causing delays in finalizing the list and locating hostages, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes”he told the site.
-The agreement, which was signed Friday morning in Doha, “stipulates that Hamas is required to provide the names of hostages at least 24 hours before their release”reminds him Times of IsraeL. The first three hostages released on Sunday will be civilian women, specifies the Israeli site.
“Netanyahu is counting on Hamas to derail the second phase”
Pour Ha’Aretznow that the first phase of the agreement is underway, “Netanyahu is counting on Hamas to help him derail the second phase. In an attempt to maintain the support of his far-right ministers, opposed to the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli Prime Minister sent them the message that once the first hostages were released, Israel “will find a pretext to resume fighting because Hamas will not keep its promises. The Israeli army will return to the Gaza Strip and this time it will completely destroy the Hamas regime, as promised”with the support of the United States, underlines the Israeli daily.
“But who will determine that the negotiations have failed? ”, wonders Ha’Aretz. “So far, Trump has signaled his desire to complete the hostage deal, end the war in Gaza and move on to what he really cares about in the region: a Saudi deal, curbing nuclear ambitions Iranians and obtain a Nobel Peace Prize”.
Once the first hostages are released, Netanyahu will also have to face pressure from public opinion, underlines the everyday. “Once the hostages decide to speak out about the horrors they endured in captivity, it seems likely that most Israelis will be even more convinced of the urgent need to save those still in the tunnels.”moving to the second phase of the agreement. This provides for the negotiation of an agreement “permanent end of war”.
