After a brief pause in the ceasefire deal, the first phase is ready to resume with a prisoner exchange set for Wednesday or Thursday.
By Kielce Gussie
The delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas hit a snag once again. Israel had postponed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday in protest of the treatment of Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, leading to a standstill in the agreement. In response, Hamas deemed this delay a serious breach of the deal.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, Hamas announced that a delegation led by the group’s Gaza leader, Khalil al-Hayya, had concluded a trip to Cairo and reached an agreement to resolve the delayed release of the Palestinian prisoners. They are set to be freed, along with Palestinian women and children, as early as late Wednesday or Thursday in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages.
Hayya reiterated Hamas’ dedication to the ceasefire deal, including all its components. The Israeli government has yet to respond to the latest developments.
The 620 Palestinian prisoners, including over 400 Gazans detained by Israeli forces during the conflict and 50 prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, were originally meant to be exchanged for the return of six living and four deceased Israeli hostages last week.
State of the ceasefire deal
The first phase of the ceasefire deal is scheduled to conclude on Saturday. By then, 33 Israeli hostages are to be swapped for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza. Currently, 25 living and four deceased hostages have been released.
As part of the agreement, Israeli troops have withdrawn from densely populated areas of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return home in the north, and permitting hundreds of aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip daily.
The second phase of the deal is expected to include the release of the remaining 57 hostages, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and a lasting ceasefire.
