The first hostages were initially expected to be released as early as Thursday. The start of an agreed temporary truce in fighting is also delayed until Friday, an Israeli official told CNN.
There is uncertainty over the reasons behind the delay from Gaza, with one Israeli official familiar with the matter downplaying its seriousness. They reduced the issue down to “fairly minor implementation details.”
Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to the Gaza hostage deal. Also, the hostage deal does not include the "release of murderers," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday while disclosing more details from the agreement.
Here are other headlines you should know:
More on the hostage situation: “Intensive” work was needed to broker the Israel-Hamas hostage deal, according to the the Qatari minister of state for foreign affairs who also served as the lead negotiator for the deal. As part of the deal, the United States and Israel will both pause drone flights over Gaza for six hours each day, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CNN. Additionally, US officials have a working list of 10 hostages they believe are likely to be released from Gaza on day one, a source familiar told CNN.
Humanitarian crisis: The Gaza Strip is “the most dangerous place” in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund. Elsewhere, a total of 284 injured patients have been evacuated into Egypt since Israel launched attacks on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack, according to Egyptian government press office director Ayman Walash. Also, the Red Cross will be allowed to visit and offer medical support to the hostages that remain in Gaza after some of them are returned, Netanyahu said.
International input: The Biden administration will watch the implementation of the deal made between Israel and Hamas, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.The Norwegian Refugee Council said it needs longer than a four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to expand aid operations in Gaza, and the lull should lead to a full ceasefire.
Israel Defense Forces claims: The IDF said it found further evidence of a tunnel complex under Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. The IDF said special forces had exposed “dozens of meters of a tunnel system” that passed under another building in the hospital complex, “as well as rooms where Hamas terrorists can operate and stay for extended periods.”
23 min ago
White House hopeful release of hostages will begin Friday as parties work out "final logistical details"
From CNN's MJ Lee
The Biden administration is hopeful the hostage release process will begin Friday morning as the parties work out “final logistical details,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Wednesday night.
“The deal was agreed and remains agreed. The parties are working out final logistical details particularly for the first day of implementation,” Watson said. “It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.”
A senior US official elaborated that more time was needed to iron out details related to the locations and routes of each of the hostages as well as the logistics of moving them.
A decision was made to wait one extra day to minimize things going wrong, said the official, who added Israel made the decision together with Qatar and Egypt, and that the US was consulted on and agreed with the decision.
The official also said the fact that Israel had not yet received the names of the first group of hostages to be released was not a serious issue, but added that it would be more worrisome if there was still no list by Thursday evening.
23 min ago
There's uncertainty over the reasons behind the hostage deal delay, officials say
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Kaitlan Collins, Matthew Chance, Oren Liebermann and Tamar Michaelis
People look at pictures of Hamas' hostages during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling for their release on November 11. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
There is uncertainty over the reasons behind a delay in the release of hostages from Gaza, with one Israeli official familiar with the matter downplaying its seriousness. They reduced the issue down to “fairly minor implementation details.”
Another official told CNN part of the reason was Israel had not yet received names of the first hostages to be released by Hamas.
Israeli media is reporting that neither Israel nor Hamas have signed the hostage release agreement, though it is not clear whether this should be enough to pause the deal.
Even so, no Israeli official has expressed concern the entire arrangement has fallen apart.
Speaking at a Wednesday evening news conference held before the delay was announced, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence the agreement would soon go into effect, even as he offered few details about its implementation.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson had struck a note of caution over the hostage release process.
“This is a complicated process which is not yet complete – it will take time and will be executed in a number of stages. I wish to emphasize that it is not yet finalized, and it may yet take time until it is finalized,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at his regular evening briefing. “I don’t know when the truce will come into effect, but in the meantime … our focus is on the fighting,” he continued.
23 min ago
White House official says Biden administration will watch "very closely" to make sure Hamas sticks to deal
From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg and Betsy Klein
John Kirby speaks at the White House in Washington, DC on November 20. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Biden administration will watch the implementation of the deal made between Israel and Hamas, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.
“Nobody's doing touchdown dances here. Now's the time for everybody to watch very, very closely. Because this is this is going to come down now to implementation and execution,” Kirby said in a virtual briefing for the American Jewish community.
Kirby said that the administration will be watching “very closely” to make sure that Hamas holds up their end of the hostage deal.
Kirby also offered some explanation into the remaining American hostages, explaining that there are 10 unaccounted-for Americans, and they are all believed to be held captive at this time.
“We know there’s 10 unaccounted-for Americans — we don’t know that all of them are hostages but that’s the assumption that we’re making. So somewhere in that neighborhood,” he said.
Three Americans would fall into the women and children category that is part of the release deal, and the US is optimistic the three “will be in at least one of the increments.”
But he continued to express some caution: “We’ll have to watch — the truth is we won’t know for sure until we start to see people moving.”
Pressed by CNN’s Bianna Golodryga on whether there is proof all of the hostages are still alive, Kirby hedged.
“Our information is limited about all the hostages, including the remaining American hostages. So I can’t tell you definitively that we have proof of life on all of them. But I can say that we have no indication to the contrary. So we’re going to continue to work on this as hard as we can,” he said.
23 min ago
No hostages will be released before Friday, Israel National Security Council says
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv and Jeremy Diamond in Sderot
No hostages will be released before Friday, according to the Israel National Security Council. The start of an agreed temporary truce in fighting is also delayed until Friday, an Israeli official told CNN.
“Talks to release our hostages are advancing and are ongoing," the council said in a statement. "The start of the release process will take place according to the original agreement between both sides, and not before Friday."
Previously, the expectation had been that the first releases would take place as early as Thursday. No reason was given for the apparent delay.
Gaza is the world’s "most dangerous place" for children, UNICEF chief says
From CNN’s Caitlin Danaher and Sugam Pokharel in London
The Gaza Strip is “the most dangerous place” in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund.
"More than 5,300 Palestinian children have been reportedly killed in just 46 days … That’s over 115 a day, every day, for weeks and weeks,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a video on Wednesday while addressing the UN Security Council.
“Based on these figures, children account for 40% of the deaths in Gaza,” she added.
"This is unprecedented. In other words, the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," Russell continued.
She also said UNICEF is receiving reports that “more than 1,200 children” remain under the rubble of bombed-out buildings or are otherwise unaccounted for.
The comments come a week after Russell’s visit to Gaza. In a statement following her visit, she described ��grave violations” being committed against children, including “killing, maiming, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.”
23 min ago
Israel’s Supreme Court rejects legal challenge to hostage deal
From CNN's Tim Lister
Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a legal challenge to the Gaza hostage deal which includes the release of at least 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The Almagor association, which was set up in 1986 to represent victims of terror, had claimed that the government's decision, among a series of objections, intensified the risk of “the recurrence of serious acts of terrorism to which all the citizens and residents of the country are exposed.”
Almagor had asked the Supreme Court to “annul the government's decision … [and] order [the government] to discuss again the terms of the deal with Hamas,” according to information released by the Court.
The Court said it rejected the petition outright on the grounds that the hostage deal “is a clear political issue to which this court does not consider its involvement as necessary.”
The ruling clears any legal objection in Israel to the execution of the deal that involves the exchange of Israeli hostages in Gaza for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
23 min ago
Return of hostages is a "complicated process yet to be finalized," Israeli military spokesperson says
From CNN's Tamar Michaelis and Sugam Pokharel
Admiral Daniel Hagari speaks to the press in Tel Aviv on October 18. Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images
Coordinating the return of hostages from Gaza is not an easy task, Israel’s military spokesperson said at a briefing Wednesday evening.
“This is a complicated process, which is yet to be finalized, and could take time and last over a few stages,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Israel’s cabinet approved a deal for the release of hostages seized by Hamas in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting in Gaza, which is slatedto begin Thursday morning. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will also be released as part of the deal.
Hagari said Israel’s military is cooperating with all the relevant bodies to administer “an orderly process” to receive hostages from Hamas.
The coming days will be “filled with moment of relief and moments of pain,” he said, warning that they could also include “attempts to carry out psychological terror, aimed against us by the terror organizations.”
He also said that the chief of the general staff of the IDF, Herzi Halevi, has approved “the war’s plans and stages for the future, and particularly the readiness for the next few days.”
Hagari stressed that “a long fight is ahead” for the Israeli military.
Israel and Hamas reached a deal for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 hostages held in Gaza – but none will be freed before Friday, according to the Israel National Security Council.
Previously, the expectation had been that the first releases would take place as early as Thursday. The pause in fighting was also delayed until Friday, an Israeli official told CNN.
US officials have a working list of 10 hostages they believe are likely to be released on day one, a source familiar told CNN. It was not clear whether any of the three American hostages — including 3-year-old Abigail Edan — would be among them.
The head of UNICEF has called the Gaza Strip "the most dangerous place" in the world right now to be a child, saying over 100 children have died per day for weeks.
The first hostages were initially expected to be released as early as Thursday. The start of an agreed temporary truce in fighting is also delayed until Friday, an Israeli official told CNN.
There is uncertainty over the reasons behind the delay from Gaza, with one Israeli official familiar with the matter downplaying its seriousness. They reduced the issue down to “fairly minor implementation details.”
Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to the Gaza hostage deal. Also, the hostage deal does not include the "release of murderers," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday while disclosing more details from the agreement.
Here are other headlines you should know:
More on the hostage situation: “Intensive” work was needed to broker the Israel-Hamas hostage deal, according to the the Qatari minister of state for foreign affairs who also served as the lead negotiator for the deal. As part of the deal, the United States and Israel will both pause drone flights over Gaza for six hours each day, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CNN. Additionally, US officials have a working list of 10 hostages they believe are likely to be released from Gaza on day one, a source familiar told CNN.
Humanitarian crisis: The Gaza Strip is “the most dangerous place” in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund. Elsewhere, a total of 284 injured patients have been evacuated into Egypt since Israel launched attacks on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack, according to Egyptian government press office director Ayman Walash. Also, the Red Cross will be allowed to visit and offer medical support to the hostages that remain in Gaza after some of them are returned, Netanyahu said.
International input: The Biden administration will watch the implementation of the deal made between Israel and Hamas, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.The Norwegian Refugee Council said it needs longer than a four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to expand aid operations in Gaza, and the lull should lead to a full ceasefire.
Israel Defense Forces claims: The IDF said it found further evidence of a tunnel complex under Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. The IDF said special forces had exposed “dozens of meters of a tunnel system” that passed under another building in the hospital complex, “as well as rooms where Hamas terrorists can operate and stay for extended periods.”
The Biden administration is hopeful the hostage release process will begin Friday morning as the parties work out “final logistical details,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Wednesday night.
“The deal was agreed and remains agreed. The parties are working out final logistical details particularly for the first day of implementation,” Watson said. “It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.”
A senior US official elaborated that more time was needed to iron out details related to the locations and routes of each of the hostages as well as the logistics of moving them.
A decision was made to wait one extra day to minimize things going wrong, said the official, who added Israel made the decision together with Qatar and Egypt, and that the US was consulted on and agreed with the decision.
The official also said the fact that Israel had not yet received the names of the first group of hostages to be released was not a serious issue, but added that it would be more worrisome if there was still no list by Thursday evening.
People look at pictures of Hamas' hostages during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling for their release on November 11. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
There is uncertainty over the reasons behind a delay in the release of hostages from Gaza, with one Israeli official familiar with the matter downplaying its seriousness. They reduced the issue down to “fairly minor implementation details.”
Another official told CNN part of the reason was Israel had not yet received names of the first hostages to be released by Hamas.
Israeli media is reporting that neither Israel nor Hamas have signed the hostage release agreement, though it is not clear whether this should be enough to pause the deal.
Even so, no Israeli official has expressed concern the entire arrangement has fallen apart.
Speaking at a Wednesday evening news conference held before the delay was announced, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence the agreement would soon go into effect, even as he offered few details about its implementation.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson had struck a note of caution over the hostage release process.
“This is a complicated process which is not yet complete – it will take time and will be executed in a number of stages. I wish to emphasize that it is not yet finalized, and it may yet take time until it is finalized,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at his regular evening briefing. “I don’t know when the truce will come into effect, but in the meantime … our focus is on the fighting,” he continued.
John Kirby speaks at the White House in Washington, DC on November 20. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Biden administration will watch the implementation of the deal made between Israel and Hamas, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.
“Nobody's doing touchdown dances here. Now's the time for everybody to watch very, very closely. Because this is this is going to come down now to implementation and execution,” Kirby said in a virtual briefing for the American Jewish community.
Kirby said that the administration will be watching “very closely” to make sure that Hamas holds up their end of the hostage deal.
Kirby also offered some explanation into the remaining American hostages, explaining that there are 10 unaccounted-for Americans, and they are all believed to be held captive at this time.
“We know there’s 10 unaccounted-for Americans — we don’t know that all of them are hostages but that’s the assumption that we’re making. So somewhere in that neighborhood,” he said.
Three Americans would fall into the women and children category that is part of the release deal, and the US is optimistic the three “will be in at least one of the increments.”
But he continued to express some caution: “We’ll have to watch — the truth is we won’t know for sure until we start to see people moving.”
Pressed by CNN’s Bianna Golodryga on whether there is proof all of the hostages are still alive, Kirby hedged.
“Our information is limited about all the hostages, including the remaining American hostages. So I can’t tell you definitively that we have proof of life on all of them. But I can say that we have no indication to the contrary. So we’re going to continue to work on this as hard as we can,” he said.
No hostages will be released before Friday, according to the Israel National Security Council. The start of an agreed temporary truce in fighting is also delayed until Friday, an Israeli official told CNN.
“Talks to release our hostages are advancing and are ongoing," the council said in a statement. "The start of the release process will take place according to the original agreement between both sides, and not before Friday."
Previously, the expectation had been that the first releases would take place as early as Thursday. No reason was given for the apparent delay.
The Gaza Strip is “the most dangerous place” in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund.
"More than 5,300 Palestinian children have been reportedly killed in just 46 days … That’s over 115 a day, every day, for weeks and weeks,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a video on Wednesday while addressing the UN Security Council.
“Based on these figures, children account for 40% of the deaths in Gaza,” she added.
"This is unprecedented. In other words, the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," Russell continued.
She also said UNICEF is receiving reports that “more than 1,200 children” remain under the rubble of bombed-out buildings or are otherwise unaccounted for.
The comments come a week after Russell’s visit to Gaza. In a statement following her visit, she described ��grave violations” being committed against children, including “killing, maiming, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.”
Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a legal challenge to the Gaza hostage deal which includes the release of at least 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The Almagor association, which was set up in 1986 to represent victims of terror, had claimed that the government's decision, among a series of objections, intensified the risk of “the recurrence of serious acts of terrorism to which all the citizens and residents of the country are exposed.”
Almagor had asked the Supreme Court to “annul the government's decision … [and] order [the government] to discuss again the terms of the deal with Hamas,” according to information released by the Court.
The Court said it rejected the petition outright on the grounds that the hostage deal “is a clear political issue to which this court does not consider its involvement as necessary.”
The ruling clears any legal objection in Israel to the execution of the deal that involves the exchange of Israeli hostages in Gaza for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Admiral Daniel Hagari speaks to the press in Tel Aviv on October 18. Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images
Coordinating the return of hostages from Gaza is not an easy task, Israel’s military spokesperson said at a briefing Wednesday evening.
“This is a complicated process, which is yet to be finalized, and could take time and last over a few stages,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Israel’s cabinet approved a deal for the release of hostages seized by Hamas in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting in Gaza, which is slatedto begin Thursday morning. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will also be released as part of the deal.
Hagari said Israel’s military is cooperating with all the relevant bodies to administer “an orderly process” to receive hostages from Hamas.
The coming days will be “filled with moment of relief and moments of pain,” he said, warning that they could also include “attempts to carry out psychological terror, aimed against us by the terror organizations.”
He also said that the chief of the general staff of the IDF, Herzi Halevi, has approved “the war’s plans and stages for the future, and particularly the readiness for the next few days.”
Hagari stressed that “a long fight is ahead” for the Israeli military.
