Palestinian official to AFP: Deal delayed over ‘last minute’ details on hostage list

An installation consisting of chairs with books and portraits of Israeli hostages in Gaza seen at the new building of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, November 21, 2023. (Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
An installation consisting of chairs with books and portraits of Israeli hostages in Gaza seen at the new building of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, November 21, 2023. (Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

A Palestinian official tells AFP that a delay in implementation of a truce in Gaza is due to “last minute” details over which hostages will be released and how.

The truce, widely expected to go into force today but delayed during the night, has been put back over “the names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their release,” says the official, who has knowledge of the negotiation process.

Israel has demanded the release of all children held in Gaza as well as their mothers, although Hamas has reportedly indicated that it does not necessarily know the whereabouts of all of them, with some of them being held by other terror groups in the Strip.

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