confirmed hostage releases, the resumption of battles avoided

The Truce of Gaza should finally continue for a few more days and at least this Saturday. Hamas announced Friday, February 14, that three Israeli hostages will be well released, in exchange for prisoners, for what the sixth wave of liberations should be since the start of the ceasefire. The Islamic group would have received the list of hostages to be returned to the Hebrew State, one of them should be released by its Islamic jihad, an ally of Hamas.

Doubts hovered over the hostage and prisoner releases initially scheduled for this Saturday, after the recent tensions and the declarations of the two belligerents who accused each other not to respect all the terms of the agreement. Hamas announced Monday, February 10, postponing hostage releases “until further notice” after denouncing a “total violation” of the agreement by the Israeli camp and its American ally. A response to Donald Trump’s threats to “ethnic cleaning” according to several leaders of the Palestinian Islamist group: “The language of threats is worthless and only complicates things. […] Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by the two parties and that it is the only way to bring the prisoners back, “said Sami Abou Zouhri, one of the heads of Hamas.

Israel responded to Hamas on Tuesday, February 11, by the voice of his Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, who promised a resumption of battles in the absence of new hostage releases. “If Hamas does not release our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end and [l’armée israélienne] will resume intense fighting until Hamas is definitively beaten, “he said. The head of the Israeli government did not, however, decided what hostages he was waiting for the liberation: from the few individuals to be normally released, Of the last 12 hostages being part of the liberable people during the first phase of the truce or all the remaining hostages. Hell “if this condition was not respected.

The announcement of Hamas on the next release seems to meet the conditions of Israel so as not to resume hostilities. Unless the Hebrew State required the release of all the captives like Donald Trump. A requirement which does not, however, correspond to the truce agreement and which can hardly justify a break in the ceasefire.

What the agreement on hostage releases provides

The truce in Gaza has released 21 hostages from Hamas in exchange for around 700 to 800 Palestinian prisoners since January 19. But the agreement concluded between Israel and Hamas provides for a first ceasefire phase until March 1 during which 33 hostages in Hamas must be released in exchange for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. This beginning of the truce therefore assumed the liberation only of part of the 73 hostages retained by Hamas, 34 of which died according to information from the Israeli army. The other captive Israelis were to be released in a second and third phase whose conditions were to be negotiated this week until the end of the agreement.

But Hamas has pointed out “a delay and a lack of commitment” of Israel and the United States “in the implementation of the first phase” of the truce “as well as an attempt to create a political, diplomatic environment and media intended to put pressure on Palestinian negotiators before entering the second phase “reported Bassem Naïm, member of the Hamas political bureau with AFP. According to this official, “this clearly puts the agreement in danger and could lead to his stop or his collapse”.

Before the announcement of Hamas on the postponement of releases until further notice, the last exchange of hostages and prisoners organized on Saturday February 8 had already suffered from complications due to tensions in negotiations. At the end of the releases, the Hebrew State had denounced a “cruel spectacle” during the release of the hostages with emaciated faces and surrounded by Palestinian flags, while the Palestinian prisoners club had revealed civil families by the Israeli army.

A resumption of the conflict after the truce?

In addition to the release of hostages and prisoners, the first phase of the truce in Gaza also provides for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from certain corridors and spaces to allow the return of civilians Gazaouis. “A delivery of humanitarian aid everywhere in the Gaza Strip allowing the entry of basic necessities, especially for displaced people who have lost their accommodation following the war, as well as the rehabilitation of hospitals, health centers And others “are also on the program for this first phase. Prerequisites that must allow a final withdrawal of Israel in the Palestinian enclave. But the Hebrew state has always opposed the idea of ​​putting an end to the conflict before the “extermination” of Hamas and this position has been reaffirmed in recent days by Benyamin Netanyhaou on February 8 in an interview on Fox News: ” We will eliminate Hamas and take off our hostages. A goal also pursued by Donald Trump.