The Palestinian armed group Hamas announced on the 17th (local time) that last-minute coordination was achieved in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, and following Israel, they announced the final agreement.
According to Sputnik News and others on the same day, Hamas issued a statement saying, "The obstacle that arose due to Israel's non-compliance was resolved this morning thanks to the efforts of the mediators."
This came after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier announced that the hostage release and ceasefire negotiations with Hamas had been finalized.
Accordingly, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting on the same day to vote on the agreement for implementing the ceasefire.
The Prime Minister's office stated, "Prime Minister Netanyahu received notification from the negotiation team that an agreement was reached in the negotiations for the release of hostages," and that the agreement was also signed.
With Hamas confirming the agreement following Israel, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has entered its final countdown.
The full cabinet meeting of Israel, which will give the final approval for the ceasefire agreement, is expected to be held on the evening of the 18th local time.
However, despite the delay in the signing of the negotiations and government approval, the Prime Minister's office stated, as reported by the Times of Israel, that the hostages will be released from the Gaza Strip as scheduled on the 19th.
In a statement on the same day, the Prime Minister's office said, "Once the ceasefire agreement is approved by the security cabinet and the full cabinet and comes into effect, the release of hostages can proceed according to the planned outline," adding, "Three female hostages will be released on the 19th."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
