Last-minute complications delay Gaza humanitarian pause till Friday

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Last-minute complications have delayed the implementation of a planned humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip until Friday, Israeli media said.

“There are still complications,” Israeli public broadcaster KAN said, citing an Israeli source.

“For now, it does not seem that things are going to explode,” the source said. “We remain optimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement.”

On Wednesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that an agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause was achieved between Israel and Hamas.

Under the deal brokered with the help of Egypt, Qatar and the US, 50 Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas will be released over four days, with Israel handing over 150 Palestinians, according to Israeli media.

The agreement was scheduled to be implemented on Thursday but was delayed until Friday.

In a surprise announcement late Wednesday, Israel’s National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement that the negotiations for the hostages “are constantly progressing” and “the release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday.”

KAN reported that Israel’s Mossad chief David Barnea arrived in Qatar on Wednesday for talks on the final details of the hostage deal.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari also said in a statement that Qatar was working with the two sides, along with the US “to ensure the rapid start of the truce and to provide what is necessary to ensure the parties’ commitment to the agreement.”

KAN, citing an Israeli official, said that Israel was informed by Qatar that Hamas has not yet signed the hostage deal.

“It seems that this is an internal issue concerning them,” the official said.

Hamas earlier announced that the pause would come into effect on Thursday, which Israel has not officially confirmed.

“We did not attach any importance to this announcement for the simple reason that the agreement has not been concluded yet,” the Israeli official said.

Israeli Channel 13 attributed the delay of the pause to “Hamas' insistence on several issues that are not acceptable for Israel.”

“Israel has not yet received a list of the hostages that are scheduled to be released,” the broadcaster said.

The channel, citing an Israeli political source, said the gaps in the negotiations could be bridged.

“The delay will not lead to the collapse of the talks, and this was the same message conveyed by Qatar to Israel last night,” the source said.