New Delhi: The hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas, which was supposed to start on Thursday, has been postponed by a day, a senior US official said. The official said that the decision was made by Israel, Qatar and Egypt, with the US being informed. The official said that more time was needed to finalize the details and to avoid any mishaps. According to the deal, Hamas will release 50 Israeli hostages, including children, their mothers and other women, in exchange for a four-day ceasefire and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors.
The US official said that there was no reason to panic yet, as Israel had not received the list of the first group of hostages to be freed by Hamas, which was expected on Wednesday night. The official said that the situation would be worrisome if there was still no list by Thursday night.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson confirmed that the deal was still on and hoped that it would be implemented on Friday morning. “The deal was agreed and remains agreed,” Watson said in a statement. “The parties are working out the final logistical details, especially for the first day of implementation.”
Watson said that the US wanted to ensure that nothing would go wrong as the hostages began returning home. “Our main goal is to make sure that they are brought home safely,” Watson said. “That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.”
An Israeli official earlier said that the delay was due to the lack of a signed document to seal the agreement, while another source said that the mechanism for releasing the hostages was not ready and Hamas had not given the list of the first batch of hostages it intended to release as expected.
Both sources expressed optimism that the deal would take place on Friday morning.