Israel, Hamas ready for more hostage releases, but reported killing casts shadow on truce
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GAZA – Israel and Hamas prepared for a third day of hostage releases from Gaza, although a reported killing in a refugee camp in the enclave cast a shadow on the truce.
A Palestinian farmer was killed, and another injured, on Nov 26 after they were targeted by Israeli forces in Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
There was no comment from Israel on the report.
But there were fears it could jeopardise the third phase of plans to swop 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for 150 prisoners in Israeli jails over a four-day period.
A senior Palestinian source said the Nov 26 phase looked complicated. When asked by Reuters if the farmer’s killing could delay a third batch of releases, the source replied: “I don’t know.”
Maghazi, in the central part of the Gaza Strip, is home to the families or descendants of refugees from the 1948 war over the creation of the state of Israel.
The armed wing of Hamas also announced on Nov 26 the killing of four of its military commanders in the Gaza Strip, including commander Ahmad Al Ghandour, leader of the North Gaza brigade. However, it was not clear when they were killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Nov 26 that it had received a list of names of abductees whom Hamas is due to hand over later in the day.
Since Nov 24, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza has freed 26 Israelis, some with dual nationalities, as well as 14 Thai nationals and one Filipino citizen.
The releases, made in several stages, are key to a deal brokered by Qatar and Egypt
It has brought a four-day pause in fighting in the more than seven-week war, and allowed the flow of further humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza.
As part of the pact, Israel has so far released 78 Palestinian women and children held in its prisons.
The releases on Nov 25 came hours later than expected
The snag underscored the shakiness of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The armed group’s gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct 7
Israel has unleashed its military might on the small and crowded Gaza Strip since the attack. Around 15,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States are pressing for the truce to be extended beyond Nov 27, but it is not clear whether that will happen.
Israel has said the truce could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 a day. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.
The humanitarian pause has “largely held” since going into effect on Nov 24.
It has allowed the United Nations to boost the delivery of crucial aid into and across Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an update.
All the same, the agency said many people still have no food – or fuel to cook it with – and bakeries are not operating.
It has raised concerns about nutrition, especially in northern Gaza, the focus of Israel’s ground offensive.
The agency also reported that Israeli forces had arrested some Palestinians travelling along the Israeli-designated “safe corridor” from the territory’s north to south.
Israel’s defence forces warned on Nov 26 that civilians in Gaza are prohibited from entering the sea or to approach within 1km of the border with Israel.
The Defence Ministry said Israel’s army has seized about five million shekels (S$1.8 million) from Hamas during the ground invasion.
Iraqi, Jordanian and US currencies have been found primarily in Hamas strongholds and suspects’ homes.
On Nov 25, US President Joe Biden spoke to Qatari leaders “on potential holdups to the deal and mechanisms to resolve them”, said Ms Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the US National Security Council.
Mr Biden, who said the first day of hostage releases had “gone well”, was kept informed of developments on Nov 25.
After his call with Qatari leaders, senior US officials were in “regular contact with the Israelis, Qataris and Egyptians to overcome hurdles”, Ms Watson said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Israel in the coming week, a fourth visit since Oct 7, according to local media.
Ms Lolwah Al-Khater, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, visited Gaza on Nov 26 through the Rafah crossing, a rare visit by an Arab official since the start of hostilities in October.
She said the pace of aid to the strip is still not enough to meet the level of need.
Mr Mahmoud al-Mordawi, a senior Hamas official in Beirut, said 300 trucks should enter northern Gaza on Nov 26 and 27 to make up for shortfalls in recent days.
In the West Bank, seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces
The Israeli military said it conducted a raid there to detain a Palestinian who is suspected of involvement in a lethal West Bank ambush in August, as well as 20 other suspects.
The West Bank has experienced a surge in violence parallel to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
