The situation that had threatened the hostage agreement has now been resolved. According to intermediaries from Qatar, agreements have been made between the involved parties, which stipulate that civilian Arbel Yehoud, lookout Agam Berger, and one other hostage will be released on Thursday. Three more hostages are scheduled to be freed on Saturday.
In addition, Hamas has provided a list outlining the status of the 26 hostages who are to be released during the initial phase of the deal, as agreed upon. In exchange, Israel will open the Netzarim Corridor starting Monday morning, allowing displaced Gazans to return to northern Gaza, as announced by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Israel has received from Hamas a list that includes the status of all of the hostages due to be released in the first stage. Under these agreements, Israel will – from tomorrow morning – allow the passage of Gazans to the northern Strip,” the statement read.
“The Prime Minister reiterates that Israel will not tolerate any violation of the agreement. We will continue to act for the return of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” the statement concluded.
A statement by Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated that “Israel will provide, every Sunday during the first phase of the deal, a list of 400 Gazans who have been detained since October 7.”
Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, commented on Sunday night that he was pleased about the resolution of the crisis between Israel and Hamas. “It’s wonderful, I spoke to the president about it. He was happy,” he said. “Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani did an amazing job. I thank the Israeli government and those who were involved. It’s a good day for the hostages.”
Islamic Jihad had earlier claimed that an agreement had been reached to secure the release of Arbel Yehoud, who was initially supposed to be included in the second phase of the deal but was held back by Hamas in violation of the agreement. However, Israel rejected this claim.
Israel believed that internal disputes within Gaza, particularly between Islamic Jihad and the Resistance Committees, were complicating Arbel’s release. During negotiations, Islamic Jihad insisted that Arbel be classified as a soldier and demanded the release of 30 prisoners serving life sentences in return. Israel strongly objected to this and it was reportedly agreed that she would be classified as a civilian, not a soldier, for the purposes of the deal. The dispute also involved the timing of her release, with Israel insisting that she be freed by Wednesday.
Arbel is not held solely by Islamic Jihad, but also by the Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, which is the third-largest terrorist group in Gaza. This group has a jihadist-Salafist ideological orientation and was involved in the abduction of Gilad Shalit alongside Hamas operatives in June 2006. They were also responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Eliyahu Asheri on the same day.
Over the years, this group has been behind multiple attacks, including bombings in Gaza targeting both military and civilian locations before the implementation of the Disengagement Plan, as well as attacks within Israel. They have taken responsibility for launching rockets at Israel during several rounds of escalation. Israel has successfully eliminated several of its leaders, including Raafat Abu al-Halal, whose death was reported by the IDF on October 19, 2023.
On October 7, this organization participated in the massacre and also abducted Ohad Yahalomi, who is still being held in Gaza and is expected to be released as part of the first stage of the deal. His 13-year-old son, Eitan, was abducted with him but was released in the initial deal between Israel and Hamas in late 2023.
{Matzav.com Israel}