The second exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners is suspended. Hamas announced late Saturday, November 25, that it was suspending the release of new hostages. “until Israel respect the agreement” concluded between the two parties. The Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement, demand in particular, in a press release, “the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the north of the Gaza Strip” and respect for “selection criteria” for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli officials confirmed to AFP that the hostages who were to be released on Saturday had not yet been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as was planned earlier. Follow our live stream.
An exchange identical to that of Friday. “We are talking about 13 hostages” against 39 Palestinian prisoners “who will be released from Israeli prisons”had announced in the middle of the afternoon on BFMTV Olivier Rafowicz, spokesperson for the Israeli army. “But we always have to be a little careful, because there can be last minute changes”he also declared.
Some 215 hostages still held in Gaza. The first twenty-four hostages, including ten Thais and one Filipino released outside of the agreement between the two belligerents, arrived in Israel via Egypt. The Jewish state, for its part, released 39 Palestinians detained in its prisons. “There are approximately 215 hostages remaining in Gaza”said an Israeli army spokesperson, Doron Spielman, before Saturday’s releases. “We don’t know, in many cases, whether they are dead or alive”he added.
Humanitarian aid was able to enter the enclave. This truce, which is supposed to last until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, also allows the entry of a greater number of humanitarian aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, in a state of “complete seat” since October 9. Eight humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. These are four fuel tankers and four cooking gas trucks, specifies an Israeli army spokesperson. on. This spokesperson states that “200 aid trucks are expected today” in the Gaza Strip.
Suspected Iranian attack on Israeli ship. A ship belonging to an Israeli businessman was lightly damaged Friday in a suspected Iranian attack in the Indian Ocean. “We are aware of reports that a Shahed 136 drone hit a ship in the Indian Ocean”, a US military official said, adding that the boat suffered light damage but that there were no injuries on board. The Shahed 136 drone is part of the arsenal of Iranian forces, which seems to support the theory of an attack on Tehran.