Israel must decide whether to resume fighting while hostages are being released

 Israel must decide whether to resume fighting while hostages are being released

Earlier in the day, Hamas said that Israel was breaking the conditions of the truce by not allowing enough humanitarian supplies to enter northern Gaza and by not releasing Palestinian detainees in accordance with the agreed-upon schedule.

"By Sunday morning, Israel said that it had freed 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails in return for the release of 13 Israeli hostages—eight children and five women—and four foreign individuals who had been detained in Gaza.

The exchange represented the most recent addition to the accord permitting a protracted cessation of hostilities. In addition to the 50 captives stipulated in the deal, Israel has said that it is prepared to provide additional day's respite for every 10 hostages freed by Hamas; however, Hamas has not replied to the offer.

Former senior diplomat and Israeli political analyst Alon Pincus said, "The question is for the fifth day." "Will Israel start a war again?" .

For Israelis, who see the freeing of the hostages as the nation's top urgent concern, an extension that permits the release of more prisoners might bring them even greater comfort. This feeling may become increasingly prevalent among Israelis as the truce continues and more captives are released each day.

See also: Following a delay, Hamas releases a second set of Israeli and international captives

According to Shira Efron, a senior researcher at the Israel Policy Forum, a political research organization with headquarters in New York, "Hamas knows this very well." They will cooperate with Israel by claiming, "Oh, we discovered five more children. There are some children in the north that we can locate if you grant us another day."

However, a protracted break would compromise Israel's main objective in its military operation in Gaza, which is to destroy Hamas, the armed organization that carried out the October 7 attack that claimed 1,200 lives in southern Israel and captured around 240 captives. As stated by Israeli government representatives.

Since Hamas ruled the whole Gaza Strip until Israel invaded last month, a lengthier cease-fire would give them more time to reorganize and enable Israel to resume its attack when the time comes. replenishes the troops, enabling him to launch a valiant defense. Run for office.

An protracted cease-fire may provide other nations, especially the US, additional chances to put pressure on Israel to scale down its military objectives. Health authorities in Gaza report that Israel's reaction to the Oct. 7 assault has killed over 12,000 Palestinians, prompting worries among Israel's supporters over the campaign's behavior.

Speaking on Friday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, President Joe Biden said that "the possibilities are real" that the halt may lead to a lengthier truce.

However, Israeli officials may simply choose to disregard the criticism and carry out an invasion, even if the US puts pressure on Israel to halt or scale down its military assault.

Hamas will continue to have sway over the majority of Gaza if the battle is ended now.

And the war is "about eliminating and destroying Hamas," according to Israel's leadership, according to Pincus. Therefore, a result of less than that is not a triumph. Hamas may declare victory if it manages to cling onto its residual political influence."

After an hour-long delay, Hamas and Israel signaled that they would approve a second captive exchange early on Saturday, sparking debate about the war's future and worries that the delicate The deal may be shattered.

Early on Sunday, Israel said that it had freed 39 Palestinian inmates in return for the 17 hostages who had been taken from Gaza.

Earlier in the day, Hamas said that Israel was breaking the conditions of the truce by not allowing enough humanitarian supplies to enter northern Gaza and by not releasing Palestinian detainees in accordance with the agreed-upon schedule.

Israel said that the four-day truce will expire early if Hamas did not release a second set of captives, while simultaneously denying having violated any of the provisions of the agreement. An Israeli military spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, said, "We stand by our part of the outline."

After several hours, Qatar, which acted as a middleman in the agreement with Egypt, said that the two mediators had overcome unidentified obstacles that had caused the exchange to be delayed. According to Qatar, Israel would free Palestinian detainees and Hamas would release the captives.

After Qatar and Egypt fulfilled "all the conditions laid out in the agreement" with Israel's pledge, Hamas said that it will go forward with the release of further captives. Additionally, according to the prime minister's office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met late on Saturday with top security personnel to make sure the exchange proceeded as scheduled.

In return for 39 Palestinian inmates and prisoners, Hamas freed 13 Israeli captives on Friday. In separate talks on Friday, Hamas also freed one Filipino and ten Thai nationals.

Neither Friday nor Saturday saw the release of any American captives. On Friday, Biden expressed his "hope and expectation" that they would be released shortly.

Speaking anonymously and unauthorised to discuss matters of national security, a Biden administration official said on Saturday that the White House "expects" the release of the American captives in the "coming days." Will finish.

The accord permits more supplies into Gaza in addition to the return of detainees and hostages. For the 2.3 million Palestinians who live there, the Israeli blockade has mostly blocked food, water, fuel, and medications from entering, resulting in a humanitarian disaster.

The spokesperson for the area's border crossing with Egypt, Wael Abu Omar, reports that 196 relief trucks arrived in the enclave on Friday. According to Omar, 185 of the 200 vehicles that were supposed to enter Gaza on Saturday evening have already done so.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, fifty-nine of those vehicles landed in badly damaged northern Gaza on Saturday, stocked with food, water, medication, and emergency medical supplies.

The amount of supplies was the most since the crisis started on October 7, but it was still significantly fewer than the 500 trucks that used to enter Gaza every day before to the fighting. Also, locals said that it is far short of what they need.

At a gasoline station in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, hundreds of Palestinians waited in line before daybreak on Saturday to fill cooking gas canisters, but supplies soon ran out.

"What kind of help is this? Mohammed Yusuf, a 42-year-old charity worker, discovered that his gas supply had ran out while waiting for gas at 4 a.m. "We haven't seen any assistance," he added.

Israelis and Palestinians are seeing reunion with a combination of optimism and anxiety after the release of detainees and hostages.

The happiness was tempered for many families by concern for the inmates' plight who were still in Gaza.

Following the Friday release of his brother, 9-year-old Ohad Mundar Zicheri, Roy Zicheri made a video statement saying, "We are happy, but we are not celebrating." "We have to continue the struggle before all the hostages are released," he said.

Palestinians in the West Bank welcomed the release of women and children from Israeli authorities' custody on Friday. Some thanked Hamas, claiming that their neighbors and relatives had been freed thanks to the organization. Others said that the number of deaths in Gaza has clouded the prospects for unity.

"We are not able to celebrate such we usually do, unfortunately, because of the bloodshed in Gaza," said 50-year-old Najah Hassan, who is the leader of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, a humanitarian group in Ramallah.

After the truce went into force on Friday, several Palestinians who had been internally displaced in southern Gaza attempted to enter the northern portion of the enclave in order to check on their homes or relatives, despite Israeli authorities' cautions not to do so. They were fired at by Israeli soldiers stationed on the ground, as reported by witnesses, an Egyptian official, and many injured parties. Regarding the incident, the Israeli military declined to respond to inquiries.