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The agreement between Israel and Hamas for the release of dozens taken hostage by Hamas in exchange for a multiday pause in fighting is not set to take effect until Friday at the earliest, Israeli officials told local outlets, delaying reunification with families and extending the humanitarian crisis across Gaza.
Israel’s National Security Council Chairman Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement that “the release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday,” The Times Of Israel and The Guardian reported.
He added that talks “are constantly progressing.” The revelation is a blow both to the families hoping to see their captured loved ones as soon as Thursday and the thousands in Gaza for whom aid and a pause in fighting are now delayed.