Negotiations between Israel and Hamas unblocked, 6 hostages released this week

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday evening that negotiations with Hamas were unblocked, allowing the release of three hostages on Thursday and three others on Saturday, with in exchange authorization for those displaced from the Gaza Strip to return to the north. of the territory.

Following intensive and determined negotiations […]Hamas will release […] THURSDAY […] Arbel Yehud, soldier Agam Berger and another hostagesaid the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office in a statement late at night.

Three other hostages will be released Saturday as planned by the first phase of the truce agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement.

At the same time, Israel received from Hamas a list with the situation of all the hostages releasable during this first phase – alive or dead.

Hamas confirmed shortly after providing this list to mediators Egyptians and Qataris.

A source within the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, told Al-Aqsa television affiliated with the movement that the increase in the number of hostages released had occurred at the initiative of the resistance. She clarified that the number of living prisoners was greater than expected.

Finally, under these arrangementsIsrael will authorize from [lundi] morning the passage of Gazans towards the north of the Gaza Stripadded Mr. Netanyahu’s Office.

Of the tens of thousands displaced people, driven out by 15 months of fighting, according to Civil Defense, were prevented on Sunday by Israel from returning to northern Gaza via the Netzarim crossing, which cuts the territory in two.

Images shot by theAFP showed a compact crowd on Sunday around this corridor.

Israel had justified this blockage by the non-release of Arbel Yehud and the absence of a list on the situation of the hostages.

The Israeli press release reiterates that Israel will not tolerate any violation of the agreement and that his government continues to act for the return of all the hostages, the living and the dead.