The hostage exchange will NOT occur until Friday at the earliest…..
Israeli air strikes are occurring and Hamas is still firing rockets also….
The temporary cease-fire paired with the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will likely not begin until Friday at the earliest, Israeli officials said on Wednesday night, as negotiators continued to hammer out details of an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would see a pause in fighting to allow for groups of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released….
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Israeli officials have confirmed that the Israeli air force will not fly over southern Gaza during the temporary cease-fire, and will have a six-hour daily window in which there will be no flights in the northern end of the territory….
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If the multiday pause holds, it would be the longest halt in hostilities since the start of the 47-day war. But with no third party on the ground to secure the deal, it could easily break down, like many other cease-fire deals in the long history of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday that while it had agreed to a truce, “our hands will remain on the trigger.”
And Israeli officials have said that their war in Gaza will continue once the pause ends…..
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Details on the hostage swap ‘deal’…..
Here’s a summary of the key elements of the hostage release deal made by Israel and Hamas early Wednesday.
- The deal will pause fighting for four days in all parts of the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of at least 50 women and children who have been held hostage inside the enclave since Oct. 7, the Israeli government said. An estimated 240 hostages are believed to be held in Gaza.
- Each hostage to be released will be traded for three Palestinian prisoners. Hamas said the deal would enable the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli prisons. Israel’s Department of Justice released a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be included in the deal — with the higher number to allow for the possibility that more prisoners and hostages could be exchanged.
- The four-day pause will be extended an extra day for the release of every 10 additional hostages, Israel said, noting that Israeli forces will resume the war afterward. During the pause, trucks loaded with humanitarian relief plus medical and fuel aid will be allowed to enter Gaza, Hamas said.
- The deal was announced early Wednesday, but the start time of the pause in fighting would be announced within 24 hours, according to the Qatari government, which has been mediating the talks. The 24-hour window gives the Israeli Supreme Court time for deliberations and appeals regarding the agreement, according to an Israeli official familiar with the plans.
- Leaders and lawmakers around the world welcomed the pause. President Biden said in a statement Tuesday night that the deal “should bring home additional American hostages.” (Two Americans were released last month.) Three Americans — two women and a girl — are expected to be released under the present agreement, a senior Biden administration official told The Washington Post.
- Under the agreement, Hamas will deliver hostages on Gazan territory to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC representatives will escort them to Israeli border crossings. Hostages and imprisoned Palestinians will be swapped in batches, according to officials familiar with the deal…..
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The US is doing it’s won aerial attacks …
Today in Iraq against Iranian sponsored groups….
U.S. forces conducted precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq on Wednesday morning local time, U.S. Central Command said in a news release. The strikes were in response to recent attacks on U.S. and coalition forces by Iran and Iranian-backed groups, including one in Iraq on Tuesday involving close-range ballistic missiles, it said….