An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: “The agreement said that the release needs to be on Saturday, and that’s the date that the release will happen.”
By AMICHAI STEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERSJANUARY 20, 2025 19:29Updated: JANUARY 20, 2025 23:20
The second hostage release will occur on Saturday, January 25, 2025, as planned, Hamas stated on its Telegram on Monday, just hours after it stated it would delay the release until Sunday.
An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: “The agreement said that the release needs to be on Saturday, and that’s the date that the release will happen.”
Earlier on Monday, Hamas claimed that the release had to be on Sunday because Palestinian terrorists were officially released only at 1:00 a.m. on Monday and not on Sunday.
Israeli officials blame the Red Cross for the delay, saying the prisoners were on the busses by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, and only then did the Red Cross want to go through the list and approve it with Hamas, causing the delay.
Hamas is set to release the more than 90 hostages over the coming weeks as part of a complex hostage deal reached with Israel this month that could end the 15-month war in Gaza.
Palestinian Hamas terrorists parade following a ceasefire agreement in Gaza City, January 19, 2025. (credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
Confusion between the days
Earlier, Nahed Al-Fakhouri, head of the Hamas prisoners’ media office, had said the hostages would be released on Sunday. Hamas had been expected to release four Israeli hostages on Saturday, seven days after the ceasefire came into effect.
A senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, reacted to Al-Fakhouri’s statement by telling Reuters the deadline for the hostages to be released was Saturday.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-838418.
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