Hamas confirms date for release of second batch of Israeli hostages
The Palestinian movement Hamas has confirmed the date of transfer of the second batch of Israeli hostages, which will take place on January 25. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the movement.
The statement said the hostages, who are being held in the Gaza Strip, will be released in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas denied a Palestinian military official who said the release of the hostages would be pushed back by one day.
Earlier on January 19, Hamas handed over Gonen, Damari and Steinbrecher to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The organization soon handed over the three hostages to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza became known on January 15. The next day, the Defense Ministry and the IDF began preparations to implement the agreement. In particular, the State Defense Ministry's Directorate of Checkpoints and the Design Department were involved in the implementation of the deal in order to speed up logistics.
Theceasefire regime in the Gaza Strip began on the morning of January 19, as agreed upon by both sides and mediators. The Israeli government approved the agreement with the Palestinian Hamas movement on January 17 following a six-hour meeting.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.
