Hamas delays second round of hostage release

Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan addressing a press conference said that Israel has not fulfilled its part of their truce agreement and that it had informed the mediators about Israel’s violations, Reuters reported.

He added that the group affirmed its commitment to the truce sponsored by Egypt and Qatar that began on Friday.

Hamdan said a total of 340 aid trucks had entered Gaza since Friday and that 65 of those trucks had reached northern Gaza — “which was less than half of what Israel agreed on.”

Qassam Brigades in a statement issued on the Telegram app said that the delay is due to Israel not abiding by the terms of the truce deal.

It said that Israel has to allow aid trucks to enter the northern Gaza Strip and to adhere to the “criteria” that was agreed upon – namely seniority – to release the Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.

A Palestinian man was wounded outside the Ofer prison near Ramallah, Al Jazeera reported quoting the Palestine Red Crescent organisation.

Israeli troops also shot and wounded Palestinians in Beit Ummar and Burqa in the West Bank.

In the latest development, Qatar notified that Obstacles in hostage release ‘overcome’ through Qatari-Egyptian communications’.

Tonight, 39 Palestinian civilians and 13 Israeli captives from Gaza will be released in addition to seven foreigners, said the official spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.