Truce between Israel and Hamas will not begin until Friday – AFP

A truce between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement will not begin until Friday, according to the AFP material.

Citing an unnamed Israeli official, the agency said: “The cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas will not come before Friday.”

Earlier, the head of the Israeli National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, speaking to reporters, said that the process of releasing hostages from the Gaza Strip could occur no earlier than Friday, November 24, since negotiations on this issue are still ongoing.

As reported, Israel and Hamas, through the mediation of Qatar, agreed to cease hostilities for 4 days, and during the specified period to carry out hostages and arrests. According to the agreement, 50 Israeli hostages (women and children) will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners (women and children under 19 years of age). According to plans, hostilities will stop on the morning of November 23.

On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. At the same time, organized groups of Hamas fighters began to penetrate into Israeli territory, who easily overcame the first line of defense of the Israeli army, took hostages and caused serious damage. Israel later launched Operation Iron Swords, attacking the Gaza Strip and cutting off all supplies of water, food, electricity, medicine and fuel. Attacks are also being carried out on the territory of neighboring Lebanon and Syria.

At the moment, the number of deaths from Israeli army strikes in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 14,500, including 20 Russian citizens, and the number of wounded has exceeded 35,000. In addition, Hamas militants may be holding up to 150 Israelis hostage. More than 1.4 thousand people died in Israel.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop all hostilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a resolution to this crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, that is, the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Earlier, the Israeli authorities stated that they did not intend to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating the conflict in Palestine. The ICC reported that 5 states immediately requested to investigate the situation in Gaza. We are talking about countries such as South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti. At the same time, an investigation is already underway into Israeli actions committed since June 13, 2014 in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.