An agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag after a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday.
The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for more than 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful over the fate of loved ones captured during Hamas’ October 7 attack that triggered the war. Irish Examiner Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late on Wednesday, without providing a reason. The ceasefire had originally been due to start at 10am local time (8am Irish time) on Thursday.
Israeli media reported that some final details are still being worked out.The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early on Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced “in the coming hours”. The US and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.
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