JERUSALEM, Nov 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Israeli regime announced yesterday that, it will resume its offensive in the Gaza Strip, immediately after the implementation of the newly clinched truce deal to release hostages.
“We are at war with Hamas, a war that was launched on Oct 7, will continue,” said Eylon Levy, spokesperson for the Israeli regime, during a press conference.
Levy said that, the war will “immediately” resume, after the full implementation of the truce deal and the release of the hostages, planned under the agreement.
The four-day truce is set to come into effect today, but as of last night, the exact hour for the commencement of the ceasefire has not been officially announced. Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas senior official told Al Jazeera yesterday that, the cease-fire in Gaza will begin today at 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT).
Additionally, specific details regarding the release of at least 50 children and women held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as, at least 150 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners in Israeli custody, were not confirmed.
Head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi confirmed in a statement that, talks on the specific details of the deal were still ongoing. “The (hostage) release will begin according to the original agreement, and not before Friday,” he said.
Chief of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, David Barnea, travelled to Qatar, a country that does not have official ties with Israel, for talks on the details of the deal, according to a statement released by the Israeli regime.
In the early hours of yesterday morning, the Israeli regime voted to accept the Qatar-mediated deal with Hamas, for hostage release and a temporary cease-fire.
During the truce, both Israel and Hamas will halt the fighting. The conflict has seen massive destruction in Gaza, including whole neighbourhoods, razed by Israeli strikes, and the killing of at least 14,532 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, according to official Palestinian figures.
Levy said that, each day during the cease-fire, Israel and Hamas would exchange lists of hostages and prisoners to be released on the next day. The hostages would be transferred to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces. Later, Palestinian prisoners would be released.
The first group of hostages will include 8-13 people, according to the Hebrew-language Ha’aretz newspaper. Levy said they would be taken first for a medical checkup.
For each additional 10 hostages that Hamas would release, Israel would offer an additional day of ceasefire, said Levy.
Levy said, during the truce, Israel would put no constraint on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which Israel cut off electricity, fuel, food, and water since the beginning of the conflict.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, welcomed the deal in a statement, saying, it was “an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to end the suffering.”– NNN-XINHUA
