The exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israel for Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza will not begin before Friday, Israel’s National Security Council director Zachi Hanegbi said in a statement overnight. The first part of the agreement, a four-day pause in fighting, is to begin first. The deal, which marks the first major ceasefire since Israel launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, includes the exchange of at least 50 Israeli hostages, including civilian women and children, out of a 150-ready. To allow change. Palestinian women and teenagers are held in Israeli prisons. Israel has said it may extend the break by one day for every additional 10 hostages released after the initial batch.
Here’s what to know
- The hostages are likely to be released in small groups before the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Palestinian prisoners Israel wants to free include many from Gaza, but most are from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where violence has flared amid settlement expansion in recent years. There are about 30 women and girls on the list, ranging from teenagers to women in their 30s and 50s.
- US officials have said Israel is prepared to allow more fuel and humanitarian aid into Gaza – up to 300 trucks a day – if the blockade continues, according to an aid official. An Israeli military official said the military situation would not allow any of the millions of displaced Gazans to return to the north.
- More than 11,100 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which said on November 10 that it could no longer provide an updated count due to the intensity of fighting in the enclave and frequent communication breakdowns. The ministry estimates that at least more than 2,000 people may have died. An October 7 attack by Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in Israel.
1:20 am: Senator Warren says Israel’s military tactics led to ‘humanitarian catastrophe’
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday reiterated her call on the Israeli government to stop bombing Gaza and urged Hamas to release its remaining hostages.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s military strategy has resulted in a humanitarian disaster, killing thousands of civilians in Gaza and endangering the long-term stability of the region,” he said in a statement on the hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Warren also praised President Biden for playing a role in the agreement, which is expected to include at least a four-day ceasefire and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
By: Kelly Kasulis Sq
12:53am: Analysis from Seoul Hub reporter Andrew Jeong
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said he discussed an agreement to end fighting in Gaza with leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during a visit to Beirut. In a social media post, he urged the White House to act pragmatically on the situation in the Middle East.
12:27 am: Who are the Palestinian prisoners Israel is willing to release?
The Israeli government said it would release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas during a four-day standoff in Gaza.
After the deal was announced, Israel’s Ministry of Justice published a list of 300 prisoners who are candidates for release.
This is what we know about the Palestinians on that list and their possible release.
Read the full story
By: Susannah George
12:02 am: Obama administration official arrested on hate-crime, harassment charges
An Obama administration national security official was arrested on hate-crime and stalking charges after a video of him confronting a New York City street vendor was widely shared on social media, according to the New York Police Department.
Stewart Seldowitz, 64, served as director of the National Security Council under President Barack Obama. He is also charged with second-degree aggravated harassment, the NYPD said in an email Wednesday.
“The 24-year-old victim told police that a man approached her at her workplace and made anti-Islamic statements several times on separate dates, causing the victim to panic and become distressed,” the department said. said.
In the video, Seldowitz appears to refer to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. New York Mayor Eric Adams said on social media that the comments were “despicable” and “disgraceful”. “Islamophobia is hate. Plain and simple,” he wrote.
By: Andrew Jang
12:01 AM: After Israel-Hamas deal, agonizing wait for release of prisoners
JERUSALEM – War-torn families in Israel and Gaza faced a hopeful but painful situation after the accord between Israel and Hamas was approved early Wednesday. The agreement allows for the exchange of at least 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners during a four-day pause in combat operations in Gaza.
But because the deal likely needed to be vetted by Israel’s Supreme Court, the fight and wait continued into the 47th day. Bombs fell on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Hostage families faced the painful reality that their special loved ones might not be present on the desired day of release.
By: Steve Hendricks, Hazem Balusha, Judith Sudilowski and Susannah George
12:01 am: Promised pause in Gaza fighting brings relief, exhaustion, fear
JERUSALEM — From the Gaza Strip’s shattered north to its teeming south, news that the guns of this war may fall silent, if only for four days, was met Wednesday with relief, exhaustion — and a fear that the worst is yet to come. .
Raed Lafi, 48, lived with his two daughters in the coastal area of Gaza City before fleeing Israeli bombs six weeks ago. Now sheltering in a cramped apartment 20 miles away, they finally got a photo of their home this week. “It was destroyed,” he said.
