GAZA: The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza is likely to be implemented from Friday due to quibbling over the release of hostages even as the war continued and Israel came under the heaviest rocket fire so far from the Lebanon-based Hezbollah after the deaths of five of its fighters, including the son of a high-ranking official.
Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the hostages won’t be released before Friday due to administrative matters “which are being addressed”. Israel wanted the hostages to be handed over to the Red Cross while Hamas wanted to transfer them to Egypt. Qatar, which along with the US and Egypt reportedly swung the deal for exchange of hostages, said the new time for the agreement would be announced soon. The 50 Israeli hostages will be released in phases as will be 150 Palestinian prisoners, with women and children from both sides to be released first. But Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Hamas would continue till its military capabilities were dismantled and all the estimated 240 hostages were brought back.
After coming up largely empty handed about its claims of a maze of tunnels under Al Shifa hospital, Israel arrested its director, Mohammed Abu Selmia. Gaza’s largest hospital came under fierce attack as Israelis were convinced it housed the Hamas command centre. The IDF said they arrested Selmia after receiving “numerous testimonies indicating that under his direct management, the place served as a command centre for Hamas”, reported Israeli media.
The Gaza death toll stood at 14,128 on Thursday, said the local health authorities. In addition, they estimate that about 6,000 persons, including many women and children, are feared buried under rubble.
Israeli troops have levelled most of northern Gaza towns and villages where they claim to have dismantled many Hamas tunnels.
Post the four-day ceasefire, Israel is expected to launch intensified operations in southern Gaza.